The Bucs’ classic creamsicle uniforms will be making a return in 2023. While that return unfortunately feels like it’s coming a year too late — it’s a crime that we’ll never see Tom Brady suit up in the orange and white uniform and put on the Bucco Bruce helmet — it’s still a welcome sight for many within the Tampa Bay fan base. The wider NFL world is excited about it, too.

Tampa Bay last donned the orange and white against the division rival Saints in 2012. It was a game that the team lost despite a 420-yard, three-touchdown day for Josh Freeman and a 216-yard receiving performance from the late great Vincent Jackson.

With the NFL adopting a one-helmet rule, the Bucs have been in red, white and pewter exclusively over the last decade. But with that rule now rescinded, Bucco Bruce is making a long-awaited return.

The Bucs recently teased that their throwback uniforms are coming soon, and with the NFL’s schedule release set for next month, we should find out which game they’ll be wearing them in short order. But because we already know Tampa Bay’s home and away opponents, we can start to venture a guess as to which game the team will decide on for its throwback game.

Obviously, the Bucs are going to wear these creamsicle uniforms for a home game, so that rules out the away opponents. That means no repeat of the 2009 throwback game against the Packers, a game that saw Freeman debut and lead the previously winless Bucs to their first win of the season. It also means we won’t get to see these classic uniforms pitted against the iconic 49ers uniforms, since Tampa Bay heads out west again this year for that matchup.

Instead, we’ll limit this to a top five among the eight home opponents. We’ll start from No. 5 and finish with the top pick — the opponent the Bucs should select for their throwback game in 2023.

No. 5: Atlanta Falcons

Falcons 2022 Throwback Game Photo By: USA Today

More than the other two divisional opponents, the Falcons warrant some consideration for the Bucs’ throwback game. That’s especially the case if Atlanta is on board with wearing its red throwback helmets.

The Falcons brought those back last year, and seeing them wear it with a road look against the Bucs’ orange, red and white would make for a fantastic uniform matchup. It would also complete a trifecta of sorts, as Tampa Bay broke out the creamsicles against Carolina in 2011 and then wore them again in 2012 against New Orleans.

No. 4: Tennessee Titans

This is another one that would be best served as an all-around throwback game. If the Titans were on board with returning to their roots and breaking out the old Houston Oilers look, that would make for yet another classic uniform clash on the field.

Tennessee has already said it will wear those old Oilers uniforms for a home game this season, but why not throw them in for a road game too? Neither team may be what they were in recent years, but the world deserves a baby blue vs. creamsicle contest.

No. 3: Philadelphia Eagles

Bucs legend Lee Roy Selmon Photo By: USA Today

The Bucs and Eagles have a ton of history — and especially playoff history. Tampa Bay’s first postseason win came in 1979, and it was against Philadelphia at the old Tampa Stadium.

The Bucs were in their white Bucco Bruce helmets and creamsicle jerseys on that day, so why not return to the late 70s for a Sunday this coming fall? Philly’s green and white look is strong as it is, so this would make for a great uniform matchup on the field.

No. 2: Detroit Lions

A return to the NFC Central days would seem fitting, right? Tampa Bay and Detroit were divisional opponents from 1977-2001. For the better part of that time period, the Bucs were in their creamsicles.

And while the Lions have refreshed their blue and silver look in the years since, this would still feel like an old-school matchup of sorts. The toughness of Detroit head coach Dan Campbell pitted against a defensive-minded head coach in Todd Bowles might even feel like something out of a football time machine. It would be hard to complain if the Bucs went this route for their throwback game.

No. 1: Chicago Bears

Bucs QB Vinny Testeverde Photo By: USA Today

It has to be the Bears, right? There’s so much history here, also going back to the old NFC Central days. Chicago’s uniforms are iconic in their own right, and seeing them across the field from the a Tampa Bay team in the Bucco Bruce getup would be something straight out of the early days of Buccaneer football. Not to mention, the Bucs’ last game in the Bucco Bruce helmet before introducing their new red and pewter look in 1997 came in the finale of the 1996 season.

That was a game that saw Tampa Bay upset Chicago, 34-19, to close out Tony Dungy’s first season as the team’s head coach with a 6-10 record and give the team some much-needed momentum heading into 1997. The Bucs began the next season hot with a 5-0 start, which turned into a 10-6 record and a long-awaited playoff berth.