This April will mark six years since the most recent Gold Pants ceremony.
That's an eternity in this rivalry. Ohio State has not been able to hold this formerly annual event since 2019, when it recognized the 2018 team for beating Michigan 62-39.
The following spring, commemorative jewelry was delivered via contact precautions, as every player was stuck at home along with the rest of the world. Since then, no Ohio State team has qualified for what used to be a grandfathered NCAA carve-out (gifting precious metals to players without a bowl game care package involved was an impermissible benefit for decades).