The Civil War Rivalry: Oregon, Oregon State set to clash with high stakes
Saturday’s matchup between No. 6 Oregon and No. 16 Oregon State on Saturday will be like many recent editions of the Civil War and assumes a place as one of the highlights of Rivalry Week. This year’s battle carries bonus intrigue with Pac-12 Championship, College Football Playoff and Heisman Trophy implications for the Ducks.
Oregon remained at No. 6 in the most recent College Football Playoff rankings, and though it is the second-highest ranked team from the Pac-12, it has not yet clinched a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game. A win against Oregon State would set up a rematch against Washington on Dec. 1, but a loss paired with an Arizona win against Arizona State sends the Wildcats to Las Vegas instead.
Winning the Pac-12 is crucial to Oregon’s playoff profile as it would provide to avenge the three-point loss at Washington from earlier in the season. A 12-1 record with a conference championship and wins against every team on its schedule would make Oregon a good candidate to move up if and when undefeated teams lose over the next two weeks. A loss to Oregon State drops the Ducks to 10-2 and shuts the door on those playoff hopes.
For Oregon State the stakes are pride, playing spoiler to your hated rival and jockeying for bowl positioning. The Beavers come into the game with an 8-3 record after a hard-fought 22-20 loss to Washington in the driving rain last Saturday night. But playing spoiler to a rival, especially one that’s leaving the conference after this year, might be all the motivation Oregon State needs.
How to watch Oregon vs. Oregon State live:
Date: Friday, Nov. 24
Time: 8:30 pm ET
Location: Autzen Stadium — Eugene, Oregon
TV: Fox
Live stream: Fubo
Oregon vs. Oregon State: Need to know
Bo Nix has taken over as the Heisman Trophy favorite: Nix is currently on pace to break the NCAA single-season record with an impressive performance so far. The Ducks are also the only FBS team to score at least 30 points in every game.
Ducks looking for revenge: Ducks coach Dan Lanning is looking for a win over Jonathan Smith and Oregon State after losing last season, causing the Ducks to miss out on a shot at the Pac-12 Championship. Oregon is also looking to defend home turf as Oregon State has not won in Autzen Stadium since 2007.
Oregon’s offensive line sets the tone: Oregon owes much of its offensive success to the guys up front. The group was named a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, given to the top offensive line in the country.
Oregon vs. Oregon State prediction, picks
I think the touchdowns that were missing in the deluge last weekend for Oregon State will show up against an Oregon team that might be comfortable with a higher-scoring affair. Assuming Oregon gets close to its average and scores at least 40 points, the Beavers should be able to score enough to take this over the total. Pick: Over 62.5
Which college football picks can you make with confidence in Week 13, and which underdogs will win outright? Visit SportsLine to see which teams will win and cover the spread.