Western Kentucky's plan to have a "white out" game in the Battle of the Bluegrass on Saturday has been squashed by Eastern Kentucky.

The Hilltoppers announced on Wednesday that Eastern Kentucky exercised its right as the visiting team to wear its white uniforms and NCAA rules require both teams to agree on a potential uniform switch.

Eastern Kentucky posted pictures of players in the white uniform that will be donned on gameday.

When Western Kentucky released its promotional schedule for the 2024 season in June, the white out game was advertised for Sept. 7 against Eastern Kentucky.

As recently as Tuesday, the Hilltoppers were promoting the white out for their home opener.

The white out is most commonly associated with Penn State. The Nittany Lions unofficially started the trend in 2002 for a game against Nebraska due to some concerns that Cornhuskers fans would swarm the stands with red.

Penn State wound up defeating No. 8 Nebraska 40-7 in that game, but it took two more years before the white out became a staple of Happy Valley. The first official game was in 2004 against Purdue when the white out was only limited to the student section.

It was opened up to include fans in every section starting in 2005.

Even though Western Kentucky won't be able to wear its white uniforms, the school's statement did note fans attending Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium are still being encouraged to come dressed in white.

There could be a level of gamesmanship at play by Eastern Kentucky. This is the first game in the Battle of the Bluegrass since 2017. The programs played every year from 1946 to 2000 and six consecutive years from 2003 to 2008 before Western Kentucky moved from the FCS to FBS.

"I just tried to let them know that this is what it might feel (like)," Eastern Kentucky head coach Walt Wells told reporters about the matchup. "It may not be like our typical, go to a Group of Five stadium where it's half full, maybe a fourth full, and play. It might be packed. It might be loud. We might see some hatred. And that's a good thing."

Western Kentucky leads the all-time series 47-35-3. The Hilltoppers opened the 2024 season with a 63-0 loss at Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Aug. 31, while Eastern Kentucky lost 56-7 to Mississippi at Davis-Wade Stadium on the same day.