With Oregon and Oregon State headed in opposite directions, this is exactly the kind of year that makes the missing rivalry game sting a little more.
The Ducks are 2-1 and still trying to shake off a rough loss at Oklahoma State. The Beavers are 1-2, but their record barely tells the story. Through three games, OSU has looked sharp, energetic and, in some ways, far more convincing than Oregon.
That alone has changed the conversation. A few weeks ago, asking whether Oregon State could push the Ducks around would have sounded like a joke. Now it’s a real question, at least in the land of vibes, where the answer would be Beavs by a mile.
That’s what makes this season feel so strange. The first break in the rivalry since World War II has arrived just as the matchup might have mattered again. Instead of the usual imbalance, there’s at least a case to be made that the teams are inching toward each other.
If the Ducks were headed to Reser Stadium this week, there would be plenty to sell. Oregon State has a new edge under JaMarcus Shephard, and Oregon would walk in as the favorite anyway. But the Beavers wouldn’t care.
College football in this state is better when these teams are playing each other for something, with fan bases sparring and both programs operating in the same orbit. Instead, the next scheduled meetings are in 2028, 2029, 2031 and 2032.
That future still feels far away, especially now that the Beavers have something to brag about. Their offense has been the surprise of the season, led by sophomore quarterback Braden Atkinson and freshman receiver Jesse Legree. Oregon State has the nation’s most productive passing attack, and Shephard has quickly put himself in position to post a winning record in his first year - something only two other OSU coaches have done since Tommy Prothro, and only one if Mike Riley 2.0 is excluded.
There’s a real path here, too. Eight or nine wins no longer sounds outlandish.
Outside of Boise State, the schedule doesn’t look especially daunting. The remaining opponents have gone a combined 4-13 against Football Bowl Subdivision teams, though OSU’s own FBS mark is 0-2, with its win coming Saturday against FCS power Montana.
Still, the Beavers have done enough to earn respect. They were competitive against No.
25 Houston and No. 11 Texas Tech, and they’ve managed to lose with a kind of style all their own.
The questions now are the normal football ones: can they stay healthy, can they keep this pace over a full season, will the depth hold up in the secondary and on the offensive line, and can the run game become a real complement to Atkinson?
That’s a different kind of tension than Oregon is dealing with. The Ducks’ most recent meaningful result is that 39-31 loss in Stillwater. The 84-0 win over Portland State doesn’t tell us much of anything.
What does matter is Saturday’s trip to USC. Oregon needs that game to restore confidence and justify the kind of investment it has made in its roster. The Athletic reported last week that the Ducks are among the country’s top three spenders, and being that aggressive while slipping out of the CFP picture before the Christmas décor shows up at Costco is not the plan.
For Oregon, the money is still there, and so is the ceiling. The Ducks can sort this out and remain in the national elite as long as the resources keep flowing. Oregon State, meanwhile, has to keep grinding for everything, while protecting itself from losing players and its head coach to bigger programs.
And yet that old imbalance feels a little more familiar now. Scrappy OSU.
Privileged Oregon. That’s the rivalry dynamic people know.
Kevin Griffin, Oregon State’s new athletic director, said last month that keeping the series alive matters beyond football.
“It’s really important for the culture of Oregon, people that are here in the state, if not for any other reason than just to stay connected,” Griffin said. “If we’re going to do anything for our fans, I think this is the thing.”
He’s right. This week would have had real heat to it.
I’d pay to watch these teams play right now. I’d like to see it this weekend.
For the moment, though, all we have are the what-ifs, the bragging rights and the arguments that come with a rivalry that isn’t on the schedule.
In Other News...
Oregon State Should Handle UTEP But One Thing Still Matters
Oregon State heads to the Sun Bowl on Saturday with a chance to take care of business against a UTEP team that has had a rough start on both sides of the ball. The Beavers are favored by 11.5 points, and on paper this looks like the kind of matchup a more balanced roster should control in El Paso, Texas. UTEP will lean on quarterback Colson, running back Tavorus Jones, linebacker Jayden Wilson and safety Xavier Smith as it tries to steady things against a Pac-12 program that should bring more size and depth.
Still, the details along the line and in the back end can matter in a game like this, especially for a Miners team already searching for answers. If Oregon State gets the clean looks it expects, the broader question may not be whether it can win, but how efficiently it can do so and whether UTEP can keep enough stability in place to make the afternoon competitive longer than the spread suggests. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Gave Fans Plenty To Like But A Bigger Test Awaits
Oregon State left Reser Stadium with plenty to like after a convincing showing against Montana, one that reflected the kind of balance coaches hope to see early in the season. The offense spread the ball around, the Beavers were willing to be aggressive on fourth down, and special teams looked cleaner than it did a year ago. Jesse Legree and Aeryn Hampton were among the players who stood out, while the offensive line showed useful depth and the returns of Eddie Freauff and Noble Thomas Jr. added to the sense that this group is getting healthier and deeper.
The performance offered real optimism, but it also came with the kind of reminders that make September revealing rather than definitive. Oregon State still has to prove it can carry that balance against a far tougher opponent, and the line situation remains something to watch as the season develops. Michael Langi saw work at center while Van Wells eligibility stays unresolved, leaving the Beavers with one more layer of uncertainty even after a game that otherwise gave them a lot to build on. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State's Offense Is Giving Beavers Fans A Real Reason To Believe
Braden Atkinson and Jesse Legree keep giving Oregon States offense a different kind of lift, and the Pac-12 took notice this week. Atkinson was honored after a big outing through the air and on the ground, while Legree continued his fast rise with another Freshman of the Week nod. Together, they have helped make the Beavers passing game feel like a weekly threat rather than a one-game spike.
Legrees latest recognition was his third straight, something Oregon State has not seen from a freshman since 2020, and it came after he topped 100 receiving yards in his most recent game. Atkinsons award was his first from the league, a sign of how quickly he has settled into the role and how much the Beavers are leaning on him as the offense finds more consistency and confidence. [Read more 🡒]