Both the Ducks and Beavers accomplished big feats over the weekend. The Beavers managed to win their sixth game of the season, beating Stanford handily 35-14. It was impressive in two respects: Head coach Jonthan Smith had just fired his defensive coordinator that week, and Oregon State managed to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2013.
The Ducks also impressed Saturday with a 38-24 win over the Washington State Cougars, in what many called a classic “trap game.” Freshman running back Byron Cardwell blew the doors off any notion Oregon would stumble, scoring two late touchdowns.
It was a good day to be a football fan in the state of Oregon.
Success at both schools could mean a more exciting contest on November 27th, when the two teams meet for their annual rivalry (formerly known as “The Civil War”). Oregon can’t look ahead too much, as they travel to Rice Eccles stadium for a showdown against No. 24 Utah. There’s also a possibility they could dip in the CFP rankings.
Oregon State will also have their hands full, as they welcome the Arizona State Sun Devils to Reser Stadium. A win on Saturday could elevate OSU to a seven-win season, something that hasn’t happened in Corvallis in quite some time.
Even though the rivalry game will not decide which team represents the Pac-12 North in the conference title game, which it would have saved for a Beavers loss, there will be plenty of excitement around both teams who are flourishing in their own ways.