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The game that used to be known locally as the Civil War has the potential to be an epic battle, not just for bragging rights in the state of Oregon, but also for a spot in what could be the last Pac-12 championship game ever.
No. 6 Oregon can punch its ticket to the title game to face fourth-ranked Washington, but No. 16 Oregon State will look to spoil its rival’s plans on Friday in Eugene, Ore., before 10 teams from the conference move elsewhere.
Oregon (10-1, 7-1 Pac-12), headed to the Big Ten next season, also harbors dreams of getting into the College Football Playoff, but it needs a win on Friday and another in the Pac-12 title game to be considered.
Both teams’ coaches hope the rivalry can continue beyond 2023.
“Games like this are really important,” Ducks coach Dan Lanning said. “And it would be great if that’s something we could make happen and continue to make happen. I know everybody on our end would love to see that continue.”
Oregon State’s Jonathan Smith was part of the rivalry game as a player and now as a coach. He guided the Beavers (8-3, 5-3) to last season’s 38-34 upset of the Ducks when his team was ranked No. 21 and its in-state rival was ranked ninth, knocking Oregon out of the Pac-12 championship game.
Smith said a continuation of the rivalry would be a “good thing.”
“Living in this state for multiple years, there’s emotion and pride. If you win this game, you get to talk about it for a full year,” Smith said. “The intensity and emotions that come with it is a cool thing about college football.”
Oregon’s offense has been clicking all season with Heisman Trophy candidate Bo Nix at quarterback.
Nix, who has the most career starts in NCAA history (58), leads the nation with a 78.1 completion percentage, is second in passing touchdowns (35), third in passing yards per game (321.7) and fourth in total offense (333.4 yards per game).
Nix tied a school record with six touchdown passes last Saturday in a 49-13 win at Arizona State, and he has at least four touchdown passes in three straight games. All six of his scoring throws against the Sun Devils came in the first half.
His favorite target has been wide receiver Troy Franklin, who leads the Pac-12 with 1,221 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. Franklin’s yardage total is a single-season Oregon record.
Oregon State has lost two of its past four games to drop out of conference title contention, including a 22-20 loss at home to Washington last Saturday. The Beavers rely on a punishing ground attack, led by Damien Martinez and his 1,147 rushing yards. Martinez has six rushing touchdowns over his past two games.
Clemson transfer DJ Uiagalelei has thrown for 20 touchdowns against six interceptions while completing 57.5 percent of his passes for 2,418 yards.
Oregon leads the all-time series with a 67-49-10 record, but Oregon State has won two of the past three.
–Field Level Media