One of the nation’s oldest football rivalries will return once again as the Oregon Ducks face off with the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium on Saturday.
Oregon State quarterback Gevani McCoy (4) scrambles out of the pocket against San Diego State during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in San Diego. Oregon State won 21-0.
Raul Romero Jr. / AP
It’s a game many people have been looking forward to. It’s the first game in which both teams are in different conferences. Last year, Oregon announced its plans to leave the Pac-12 conference to join the Big Ten, leaving Oregon State behind.
With both teams having performed well so far this season, fans expect the game to be a close one.
Tyson Alger, of the I-5 Corridor, an online newsletter on Oregon sports, said both teams had opposite expectations coming into this season. According to Alger, many football enthusiasts have projected Oregon to be a top contender for the national championship.
Oregon tight end Johnny Mundt scores a touchdown on a pass reception during the second quarter as UC Davis defensive back Zach Jones (44) follows, during an NCAA college football game in Eugene, Ore., Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016.
Thomas Boyd / AP
Despite winning their first two games, Alger said, the team’s done little to convince fans with an offensive performance that just isn’t clicking.
On the other hand, expectations were low for Oregon State. Alger said coming into the season “many people were ready to leave Oregon State for dead.”
But two wins each and performances showcasing the team’s strengths have raised the stakes ahead of Saturday’s game.
“Coming into this game, I was one of the many people who thought before the year that this would be a complete blowout and that it would be almost more of a funeral atmosphere for the rivalry by playing this at such an odd time of the year,” Alger said. “I think this could be a compelling game Saturday.”
OPB’s Geoff Norcross recently sat down with Tyson Alger to discuss his thoughts on the game and who he predicts will come out victorious.
The following conversation and transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
Geoff Norcross: So, broadly speaking, what have the Ducks done wrong so far this season and what have the Beavers done right?
Tyson Alger: Yeah, it’s kind of odd to kind of frame it as such, because both teams are undefeated, but that’s just kind of the difference between where these two programs were heading into this season. With Oregon’s move to the Big Ten, they came into the year with very, very, very high expectations. They were the preseason No. 3 team in the country. A lot of national media were projecting them as a potential national championship contender. [The Ducks] are 2-0, they haven’t lost a game yet — but it’s just they haven’t been convincing. When you look at the Ducks’ performance, the offense isn’t quite clicking like you would expect it to.
And then, on the other end, coming into the season, I think a lot of people were ready to leave Oregon State for dead. I think they thought they were a program that was searching for the life rafts. They were one of two teams abandoned in the Pac-12 conference — they came into the year kind of in the same situation as Washington State.
While they haven’t played super tough opposition quite yet, they have looked thoroughly convincing in the games that they have played. So, coming into this game, I was one of the many people who thought before the year that this would be a complete blowout and it would be almost more of a funeral atmosphere for the rivalry if you will, by playing this at such an odd time of the year. But I think this could be a compelling game on Saturday.
Oregon State mascot Benny the Beaver walks on the field before an NCAA college football game against UC Davis Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, in Corvallis, Ore. Oregon State won 55-7.
Amanda Loman / AP
Norcross: I don’t want to discount the fact that this game is going to be in Corvallis. And I’m not entirely convinced that home-field advantage is a thing — but could it be for the Beavers?
Alger: Yeah, absolutely. I think football is the one sport where home-field advantage actually does make a difference. A crowd can really impact the game, especially on third downs if you’re an offense that’s having communication issues, which it appears that Oregon does have communication issues right now. And you definitely have [an Oregon State] fan base that is going to want to vocally air its frustrations out on an Oregon fan base that appeared to have left them in the dust a year ago.
The University of Oregon student second sings along to "Shout" during the second half of an NCAA football game against Fresno Stateon Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021, in Eugene, Ore.
Amanda Loman / AP
Norcross: Yeah, Oregon State does have a lot to be frustrated about because they’re part of a two-team conference, at least until this week. We just learned that the PAC-12 now has six teams in it instead of just Oregon State and Washington State. I’m wondering what you think that might mean for the future of the Beavers.
Alger: I think it at least brings them some stability. It’s been exceptionally tough for them to kind of plot out their next four or five years when they’re not exactly sure who’s going to be in their conference. Obviously, [it] will give them clearer pictures in terms of television deals and contracts that they can sign.
It’s still weird for me, having covered the PAC-12 for the last decade or so, that they’re essentially just inheriting all the teams from the Mountain West, and kind of slapping that PAC-12 label on it. I think it’s an intriguing way for them to keep the PAC-12 alive, in some sort of zombie iteration. But I do think it at least positions Oregon State to have a path in the future.
Norcross: And then there’s Oregon, who is quite famously now in the Big Ten conference. I’m wondering what their bumpy start in the first two games of the season might mean for those upcoming games against Big Ten powerhouses like Michigan and Ohio State.
Alger: I think if you look across the Big Ten, there’s a few teams that haven’t looked quite the caliber that maybe we projected them at going into the year. But it’s going to be week after week after week of at least above-average, to very good opponents.
I think, obviously, the climax of that is going to be in mid-October when Ohio State comes to town — I can count on one hand the amount of games that will have that sort of hype. That could quite possibly be the biggest game in Oregon Ducks football history in the Big Ten.
You’re facing week-in and week-out teams that are really talented with their starters. They have a lot more depth than they did in the PAC-12’s, just because there’s a lot more concentration of talent and money and it’s going to be getting harder from here. I just don’t think many around Eugene expected it to be getting this hard in Week 3 against the Beavers.
Norcross: Yeah. Back to the Beavers-Ducks game. It’s happening in September. Normally, we see this game around Thanksgiving. Is it going to be weird for you to watch this game in September?
Alger: Oh, 100%. Basically, my whole existence in Oregon has been, you do Thanksgiving Thursday and then you get ready mentally to cover the Ducks and Beavers on that Friday or Saturday. So it’s going to be really different for the players, the coaches, us media and the fans.
I might have to put on sunscreen for this game for the first time ever — but I still think, despite all the weirdness to this game, one of the biggest cliches in football is you throw out the records when the rivalry game comes around. That may be a cliche, but I do think it’s real.
I think, especially when two teams like this who have played 127 times before this, there’s going to be history there. There’s going to be some grudges that are still held. I think when we get on that field, yeah, it’s going to be a little bit different. But ultimately it’s going to be Oregon versus Oregon State, it’s going to be Eugene versus Corvallis. I think it’s going to be a really great showcase of what we do really well in this state of Oregon.