When the “Civil War” is played between Oregon and Oregon State every fall, intense bragging rights are most often at stake.
But this year, a Rose Bowl dream will be realized for one of the two Pac-10 schools.
It has been a while since either team has traveled to Pasadena. The same goes for Ohio State, who will represent the Big Ten in “The Granddaddy of Them All” for the first time since 1997.
Oregon’s last Rose Bowl appearance was in 1995, a loss to Penn State. The Beavers of Oregon State, however, have been waiting since 1965 to return to Pasadena.
More astonishing than both Oregonian institutions’ long absences from the Rose Bowl is the last time either school actually won the game.
Oregon’s only Rose Bowl victory came in 1917 against the Penn Quakers, and Oregon State’s last win was in 1942 against Duke.
Regardless, when the two fierce in-state rivals face off Thursday, one team will get the chance to put the long drought to rest.
Oregon (9-2) will host Oregon State (8-3) in front of a national audience in the de-facto Pac-10 championship game.
The Ducks seem to be the favorite, with a more talented roster on both sides of the ball. The season started rough for the Pac-10 leader, with a 19-8 loss to Boise State and media frenzy after running back LeGarrette Blount punched a taunting Boise State player, leading to many discounting Oregon early.
However, big wins throughout the course of the season have caused Oregon to be pegged the front-runner to represent the Pac-10 in the Rose Bowl.
Ironically, the Ducks have done what the Buckeyes could not. In its second game, Oregon narrowly escaped with a win over the Purdue Boilermakers at home, 38-36. The Buckeyes went to Purdue in October and came away with the second loss of the season.
The Buckeyes’ first loss came when USC rolled into Columbus. A late touchdown sent the Trojans home winners, 18-15.
Oregon didn’t allow USC to stick around in their matchup. In what many believed would be a game to decide the Pac-10 title, Oregon throttled the Trojans, 47-20, giving them their worst defeat in several years. It was a statement victory, not only for the Ducks but the Pac-10 as a whole, over a team who has terrorized the conference this decade.
Oregon is led by electrifying quarterback Jeremiah Masoli. The 5-foot-11-inch, 215-pound junior has sparked the Ducks’ offense this season.
His dual-threat ability, much like Terrelle Pryor’s, has put up big numbers in Oregon’s effective spread offense. A 14-to-4 touchdown to interception ratio proves his effectiveness, and his 12 rushing touchdowns show his knack for big plays.
The Beavers have had an impressive year, losing only to undefeated Cincinnati, USC and Arizona. However, playing at Oregon’s Autzen Stadium could prove to be too difficult a task for Oregon State.
Although it seats only 54,000, former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr was once credited as saying the stadium was one of the loudest he had ever been in. He spent 12 seasons coaching in the Big Ten, where Michigan, OSU and Penn State’s venues are nearly twice the size of Autzen Stadium.
The Buckeyes and most of the nation will watch Thursday night while one team clinches a championship and Rose Bowl berth. For OSU, that’s a task that has been accomplished for weeks.
