Football: Remnants of the Past

There was a time when the Civil War between Oregon and Oregon State pretty much defined the season. With neither team really competing for anything but maybe a minor bowl berth the annual November showdown highlighted the season and meant almost everything.  

Times changed, new coaches arrived, and the programs began to grow.  

For the decade of the 2000s, the Football Civil War was at its peak. Both teams were consistently above .500 and a few of the meetings had national implications. 

Not only that, but the home team took every game until 2007 when Oregon State pulled off an overtime victory at Autzen. 

The Ducks responded by smashing the Beavs’ Rose Bowl hopes in Reser the following season and in 2009, what may have been the greatest Civil War of all time took place on a bitterly cold night in Eugene with the winner assured a conference championship. 

Oregon survived on the shoulder of Jeremiah Masoli.  

Things shifted heavily in Oregon’s favor in the 2010s but the 2020s began to see a little revival with the teams splitting the first four games.  

Then Jonathan Smith left, Dan Lanning stayed, and the game was moved to September.  

The Ducks are nearly 35-point favorites on Saturday, and the Beavers have hardly even looked competitive in a game so far.  

Following what will likely be an Oregon runaway, the Ducks and Beavs may be headed for a pause, as negotiations for continuation are underway.  

It’s probably necessary at this point. 

The game needs to mean something to fans again. Absence makes the heart grow fonder; OSU needs to work their way out of being a laughingstock. For those of us that experienced those thrillers sitting in the chilly stands some 20-odd years ago feeling the intensity of the rivalry, we have a lot to hang onto until it gets back on track.  

It felt like it was only a few years ago. But Oregon’s conference jump and Smith’s ship jump changed everything.  

Saturday may not really feel like much. The Ducks will be looking like Purdue color-wise while a Blackout crowd (in September? Really?) will likely be headed out into the rest of the days’ activities by the third quarter.  

It’s tough to see, especially considering what it’s been.  

Let’s hope in the future we get the actual rivalry back.  

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Author: Hey PDX

Hey PDX Team