Civil War

David R.

December 1, 2009 - 9:40 PM

As fun as Thanksgiving break is, it can be somewhat of a tease for college students. Everyone returns home and is able to relax without worrying about school for a few days, but the fun and relaxation comes to a quick end when students are forced back to school during dead week to prepare for finals.

As stressful as the remaining weeks may be, Thursday night gives everyone an excuse to take a study break. The Civil War football game between the Oregon Ducks and the Oregon State Beavers is always the last game of the regular season. The trend of the last two seasons doesn't work in favor of our Ducks this year, as the visiting team has taken the cake. However, there is some explanation for this. In 2007, we faced the Beavers at home, only three games after our heisman candidate quarterback Dennis Dixon was sidelined for the season with a knee injury. The Ducks backup quarterbacks were young, inexperienced, and relatively incapable of running the spread offense. The game swept into overtime, and we were beaten on a last minute touchdown by the Beavers.

Last season, I personally feel we were simply the better team. We rolled into Corvallis and shocked the nation by overpowering the Beavers for 60 minutes. During this time last year, the Beavers were in their own chase for the Rose Bowl, as they were able to beat USC earlier in the season. The Ducks were able to quickly end any thought the Beavers may have entertained for a Rose Bowl birth.

This year the story is slightly different. The 13th ranked Beavers will come to Autzen this Thursday night to face our number 7 ranked Ducks, the highest ranked team with a loss. However, this year, not one, but both teams in the Civil War game are chasing the Rose Bowl. Because of the tight race in the Pac 10, this game is a winner takes all scenario. We have one Pac 10 loss, while the Beavers have two. If we win, the Pac 10 conference and the Rose Bowl belongs to us. However, if the Beavers win, then both teams will have the same number of losses. But, because Oregon State will have the tiebreaker over us in the head to head game, they will claim the Pac 10.

This is the first time in he history of the rivalry that the Civil War game has been the sole deciding factor in the Rose Bowl. In the past there have been a few games where one of the two teams was Rose Bowl eligible, but certainly not both. Some around campus and on the local media have already begun calling this the game the biggest Civil War game in the history of the rivalry.

After a brief stint of frustration last night, I was able to obtain a ticket to the game. I have a feeling that more students wanted a ticket to this game than the highly advertised USC game that came to Eugene on Halloween night. This is the game of the season for our Ducks, and one game you don't want to miss. Thursday night will a crazy environment at Autzen, and I hope it is enough to force the Beavers back to Corvallis. Bring on Ohio State!