updated 5:39 p.m. ET April 12, 2006

COLUMBUS, Ohio - There is no gray area for Ohio State football fans when it comes to team uniforms.

When the new Nike jersey that features shinier fabric to wick away moisture was unveiled, fans of the scarlet-and-gray clad Buckeyes immediately lit up the lines to sports call-in shows. The new tops had no gray on them.

School officials said a slimmer, formfitting design didn’t leave room for any gray. The two white stripes on each sleeve are set off by black stripes. In letters to the editor and an Internet poll on its Web site, The Columbus Dispatch has been besieged by fans upset over the jerseys.

“Exclude Buckeyes gray: ridiculous. Now we look like the (Wisconsin) Badgers,” wrote a fan from Florida.

Ohio State has a six-year, $11.4 million contract with Nike, which provides uniforms and equipment for the school’s athletic teams.

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The players say they like the new material and seem bewildered that fans are angry over the color controversy. After all, the team’s pants and helmets remain predominantly gray.

Former coach Earl Bruce said the current controversy is overblown.

“I don’t know that jerseys ever lost a football game,” he said.

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