While UO gets out of school on Thursday for Thanksgiving, campus will not be quiet over the holiday weekend. Many students are staying in Eugene to celebrate a different annual holiday: the Rivalry Series. Devoted Duck fans have arranged their plans to accommodate for what might be the final series showdown between the Ducks and the Oregon State Beavers.

“I mean, I changed my Thanksgiving break plans so I could be here to witness this special game,” UO junior Ana Burt, the vice president of the UO Pit Crew, said. “This is too important for me not be in-person cheering on the Ducks.”

Originally from Minneapolis, Burt has been a fan of Oregon athletics and looked forward to this series since she was a kid. Burt attended her first rivalry game as a freshman in 2021 — when the Ducks defeated the Beavers 38-29 at home.

“I will never forget the feeling of beating the Beavers in Autzen,” Burt said. “It’s an atmosphere unlike anything I’ve experienced before. No matter if you’re an Oregon fan or OSU fan, this game is exciting for everybody.”

The communication disorders and sciences major, who has made her closest friends in the student section, said she expects the student turnout to be impressive, especially among true Oregonians.

Among those in green attire will be Eugene native Anthony Ro. Approximately 24 hours after he sits down to eat, celebrate and dine with his family and friends, Ro will return to his usual front row seat in Autzen Stadium’s section seven.

“My earliest memory as a child is watching the 2009 Oregon vs. Oregon State game, where the Ducks secured their spot in the Rose Bowl,” he said. “I am ready to make more memories like this on Friday.”

Ro has recently become the face of his hometown university’s student section. He was featured on ESPN College Football’s Instagram account holding up a “BO 4 Heisman” poster from the UO vs. USC game on Nov. 11. He said his friends informed him that the UO camera crew is expected to capture more moments of Ro on the jumbotron this week.

With so much on the line for Oregon — Nix’s Heisman Trophy standings and the Pac-12 Championship — Ro said there was no way he would miss this match-up.

The beloved tradition holds more than a century’s-worth of history. The Rivalry Series between current No. 6 Oregon and No. 15 Oregon State has been played 126 times. In the coming days, UO and Oregon State will meet for the 127th time and play their final game as both members of the Pac-12 conference.

Evan Tucker, a UO sophomore, will trek back to Eugene from his home in Grants Pass, Ore., to attend the historic match-up — his first rivalry game as a Duck. He hopes his presence, among others, will push head coach Dan Lanning to break his 0-3 losing streak against Oregon’s rivals — Oregon State and the University of Washington.

“Growing up there was something I always heard in school, “Are you a Duck or are you a Beaver?” Tucker said. “This rivalry has been ingrained in me since I was young, so it is really personal.”

Oregon fans, reaching far and wide, wonder if questions like this will still be posed given the collapse of the Pac-12. However, when Oregon confirmed its move to the Big Ten conference, the university stated in a press release that “[in] coming years, the UO will prioritize the long-held traditions, including competition across all sports with Oregon State University.” Thus, there is some hope for the future longevity of this beloved tradition.

“I hope that we will play each other in a non-conference game in the future. It is one of the oldest college football rivalries in the country — taking that away will be very sad,” Ro said.

Despite the concern for the future fate of the Rivalry Series, Oregon student fans will have their eyes focused on the field this Friday, with stomachs stuffed from holiday festivities.

While the rest of the nation is busy shopping for Black Friday sales, Oregon football fans, Ducks and Beavers alike, will be styled shoulder-to-shoulder in their respective school colors from the sidelines to the standing-only section. UO students would be thankful for a win to seal the “final” in-state series and lock in Oregon’s chances at a Pac-12 Championship appearance.