As I settled in for a nice long afternoon of college football last September, I clicked on my archaic Zenith, grabbed a 2-liter of Diet Coke, and tuned in to the earliest game I could find. Browsing through the TV Guide, I noticed that Wisconsin was playing and I thought Barry Alvarez and his Badgers would be a nice start to my football marathon...Wait a minute! What's this I see? Where are the classic "W" helmets? Where are the glossy cherry apple jerseys? Did Bucky approve this uniform change? I grabbed my cell phone and nearly called 9-1-1, but quickly phoned my sports colleague, Mr. Hill, and screamed in the phone "TURN ON THE WISCONSIN GAME....WHAT ARE THEY WEARING?"

     As many of you know by now, it seems "throwback" uniforms are quickly becoming the new retro fashion statement on the field. Oklahoma and Tennessee did it; Penn State has never veered away from it, and now Ohio State has chosen to join ranks. This past spring, Coach Jim Tressel unveiled the new OSU jersey to the public and you would have thought he announced the second coming of Christ. Some rejoiced, but others shuttered. Nearly six weeks after this announcement, the Columbus Dispatch's sports editors are still receiving e-mails and letters from disgruntled fans about the new jersey.

     To breakdown the fashion-fiasco for you, the major changes are the stripes on the sleeves, which are thinner and are black, white and scarlet. Secondly, the player's number has moved to the sleeves, versus on top of the shoulder pads. Finally, the fit is much tighter and the fabric is some swanky material that "whisks moisture away from the body." These alterations don't seem like major changes, do they? The public outcry of horror is the color "white." You see, the official colors of Ohio State are scarlet and gray. The old jersey had huge 1980's like gray stripes on the sleeves. Chants like "Woody is rolling over in his grave" are the most popular from Buckeye fans. Personally, I think the new jerseys are hot...except that they bare an undeniable resemblance to the Badgers.

     To be frank, it's not the jersey that terrifies people...it's the disruption and deviation from the norm. You and I both know the second one thing goes wrong with that team, the public will scream, "IT'S THE JERSEY!!!" Take Notre Dame, for example. When Tyrone Willingham made his d