The first game of each season, those gray Buckeye helmets always look a little too clean. That's because players earn buckeye leaf stickers for their play on the field, but only if the team wins. As you'll remember, OSU headgear was covered in buckeye leaves in the national championship season of 2002.

The practice was started in 1968 by longtime trainer Ernie Biggs. The tradition was captured in a 1996 ESPN2 commercial featuring then-Ohio State trainer Danny Swain. Aside from the leaves shown on the helmets of players, a chart in the Woody Hayes facility keeps track of the leaves earned by each player, for each game.

To view the Buckeye Leaves awarded for this season, click here.