Oregon and Oregon State in September? Why the rivalry is played early in the season

The end of the Pac-12 conference did not necessarily mean the end of traditional rivalry games. It simply moved them up in the schedule.

When the annual football game between No. 6 Oregon (2-0) and Oregon State (2-0) takes place on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. in Corvallis, it will be the first time the two teams have faced each other in September and the first time in more than 60 years that they have faced each other as non-conference opponents – hence the earlier date in both teams’ schedules.

The game, formerly known as the Civil War, was first played in 1894 and has been played in late November or early December for the past 129 years, with the exception of two seasons.

The 1937 and 1945 Games were both played in October.

“Coach B-Mac said in our meeting that it feels like Thanksgiving because it’s already here, even though it’s still sunny outside and it’s still early in the year,” Oregon linebacker Bryce Boettcher said of his assistant Brian Michalowski. “But no matter what time of year it is, it’s time to play the Beavers. I’m looking forward to it.”

Oregon Football vs. Oregon State still feels like a rivalry

When the teams faced each other last season – a 31-7 victory for Oregon on Nov. 24 at Autzen Stadium – the future of the rivalry was uncertain.

The Ducks moved to the Big Ten, the Pac-12 lost ten of its teams due to conference reshuffle, and the Beavers fell behind along with Washington State.

But in mid-December, Oregon and Oregon State confirmed a two-year home-and-home series, with the Beavers also playing in Eugene next season on September 20, 2025.

However, no further games are planned and an Oregon spokesman said Wednesday there was no news on whether or not the series will be scheduled after 2025.

Oregon already has a full schedule for 2026 and 2027, so some adjustments would be necessary to bring Oregon State back into the fold.

In 2026, the Ducks will play a Big Ten schedule at home against Indiana, Minnesota, USC and Wisconsin and on the road against Iowa, Northwestern, Penn State, Rutgers and Washington. Their non-conference schedule includes Portland State, Boise State and Oklahoma State.

In 2027, Oregon’s conference schedule includes home games against Michigan, Nebraska, Northwestern, UCLA and Washington and road games against Illinois, Michigan State, Ohio State and USC. The three non-conference games are Eastern Washington, Baylor and Utah State.

Saturday’s game will be the first non-conference game between Oregon and Oregon State – which is in the Mountain West Conference this football season – since 1963.

However, this does not diminish the importance of the game for the participants.

“The rivalry is something I always appreciate,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “I think that’s what makes college football so fun. I think those things are a lot of fun. … This is a fun game for Oregon State. It’s definitely a fun game for our players. I think they know exactly what it means. It means a little bit more. So is it another game? Yes, it’s another game. Does it matter to us? It’s very important to us. Our guys want to go out there and have success.”

The same goes for the Beavers, who returned only 28 lettermen and three starters from their 2023 team after former coach Jonathan Smith left for Michigan State and a mass exodus occurred.

But new coach Trent Bray is no newcomer to the Oregon game. The former Oregon State linebacker played against the Ducks from 2002-05 and said his newly assembled squad will go into Saturday’s game with an awareness of the rivalry.

“They know it, they’re aware of it,” Bray said. “There’s only a handful that have done it and experienced it. But the biggest thing is the opportunity to compete on a national level, on a national stage, and show what we can do, and do it against a great opponent, and I think that’s the bigger focus for our guys.”

Memories of the loss to the Beavers in 2022 still haunt the Ducks

The Ducks have not won at Reser Stadium since 2018 and have lost three of their last four games in Corvallis.

This includes the 2022 game, where Oregon led 31-10 late in the third quarter until Oregon State caught up and won 38-34.

When asked if he’s using the bitter feelings from that game to motivate his team this week, Lanning said, “We know about it. We’re familiar with it and it’s certainly something I think about. A lot.”

Boettcher, a senior and Eugene native who attended South Eugene High School, has experienced the rivalry in two sports. Boettcher, who is also an outfielder on the Oregon baseball team, said there is “energy in the air” during Oregon State Week.

“The last time we played at Reser, it didn’t end well,” Boettcher said, noting that there were reminders of the 2022 game around the football facility this week. “It’s here and present every day. We show clips in the film room. At the team meeting, the first thing we see is them storming the field after our loss. … That’s ingrained in us and it won’t happen again.”

Chris Hansen covers University of Oregon football, basketball, track, cross country and softball for The Register-Guard. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X @chansen_RG.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Why Oregon and Oregon State are playing so early this year