Every year when the Oregon Ducks football schedule is released, there is usually one game that Ducks fans circle: the rivalry game against Oregon State.
It is a rivalry that has divided families, neighbors, and co-workers for decades. When the Ducks left for the Big Ten before the 2024 season, it provided an extra flame to an already burning rivalry, with some Beavers fans perhaps feeling they had been left behind.
The Oregon Ducks will host Oregon State at Autzen Stadium this season in Week 4, making it the second year in a row the Ducks and Beavers will play their rivalry game in September, rather than the usual late-November matchup.
Last season, Oregon coach Dan Lanning notched his second-ever win against Oregon State, cruising to a 31-7 victory at Autzen Stadium. Still, the Beavers have been competitive in this rivalry game in the last five years, taking two wins out of the last five matchups. Both of Oregon State's recent victories over the Ducks have come at home in Corvallis, Oregon.
The Ducks' departure for the Big Ten and Oregon State's decision to stay in the Pac-12 has cast a cloud of doubt over the future of the rivalry game. As of now, the upcoming game between the two at Autzen Stadium is set to be their last scheduled matchup. Both schools have made it clear that they would like to continue the rivalry game, but that might be easier said than done.
Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens spoke about the matchup with sports radio host John Canzano last month, when asked about the future of the rivalry game, Mullens said he hopes the rivalry can be resumed at a later date.
“That game matters to us, for our state, to our fans,” said Mullens. “We’re fortunate we have that game at Autzen this year. The two years after that are a little complicated. We’re still continuing to have dialogue with Oregon State, and we’d love to make that happen. It is a little complicated for those two years, for ’26 and ’27. We don’t have a solution yet. But I do see that game continuing in the future, for sure.”
With the rivalry game potentially taking a break for two years, when is the next time the Ducks and Beavers could potentially meet? The Ducks already have 12 teams scheduled for the 2028 season, with nine Big Ten opponents and three nonconference opponents. Oregon State has been hard at work rebuilding the Pac-12 and already has three non-conference opponents scheduled for the 2028 season as well.
This likely leaves means the next possible time Oregon and Oregon State will meet again will be in 2029. Will the Ducks and the Beavers still have room in their respective schedules to continue the historic rivalry game?
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