Ladies and gentlemen, tonight the historic match up takes place and the great enmity is renewed. Yes, it is time for the west coast’s oldest rivalry game, the 113th Civil War: the revered, beloved Ducks of Oregon versus the much maligned when not ignored Oregon State Beavers. For the first time in its storied history, the winner of the Civil War – either team – will be going to the Rose Bowl to face off against the Big Ten representative Ohio State Buckeyes.
The Addict, as a graduate of the U of O, has been present for two Civil Wars during his lifetime and has watched every other on television. There have been so many memories made and lost around this game it is hard to keep track of them all. None were more important, however, than 1994, where our victory over the Beavers secured us a berth in the January 1995 Rose Bowl, where I personally witnessed Joe Paterno’s Penn State Nitanny Lions decimate the Ducks, despite a co-MVP performance by Oregon quarterback Danny O’Neill. (I remember I lost $250 on that game, even though I was getting 17 on the spread.)
I won’t boast up my team any more, for fear of the reprisal of the sporting Gods. I can only hope and pray for victory tonight, my friends. For those of you who have no feeling for the game, no interest one way or another, would you please give us a little quantum physics burst of energy and find the time today to say to yourself or another, “Go Ducks!”
The game is on ESPN and ESPN360.com at 6:00 pacific time.
Correction: I was reminded by my good friend Danny that, technically, UCLA had beaten USC just before the 1994 Civil War and we would have backed into the Rose Bowl either way. Still, it was a very big game.
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