There’s been plenty of bad blood between the Huskies and Ducks over the years and for some, it’s a game people consider more pertinent than even the Civil War.
For many, Oregon State is a school where other members of their family go to school. How much can they hate the Beavers if that’s where their brothers and sisters go?
With Washington, however, part of people’s perception is that it consists of Oregon’s arrogant neighbors to the north whose aura of superiority, especially from the late 1980s to early ’90s, has given Duck fans reason to hate the players and fans who dress themselves in purple and gold.
If fans think Washington should be considered a rival equal to, if not greater than, Oregon State, wouldn’t the Oregon football players feel the same way?
Apparently not, as many Ducks, including coach Mike Bellotti said while the rivalry is good for fans and all, it’s not something he, players and coaches get into. Although it’s the 100th game of the series, that fact won’t carry any extra weight for the Oregon players.
“It’s a team that we just don’t like, apparently,” defensive end Nick Reed said. “I’m sure there’s plenty of nice guys, but I’d like to beat them in impressive fashion.”
There’s plenty of reasons to choose to explain why the rivalry has died down over the years but the primary reason is that most of the history between the two teams doesn’t mean much for today’s group of players.
“That’s a fan thing,” Bellotti said. “Most of it has absolutely nothing to do with this group of young men – nothing. And most of it is untrue. A great deal of it is misperceptions from both sides.
“Something that happened five, 10, 20, 40, 60 years ago has very little relevance to players of today.”
Since 2001 each game has been decided by 20 points or more, hardly games that would inspire feelings of a heated rivalry.
Oregon hasn’t played in Seattle since 2003 and that means that current players haven’t seen what it’s like in the Huskies’ backyard. There’s always been plenty of Washington fans visiting Eugene for games in the previous years, but visiting Husky Stadium is an entirely different experience.
“When you go to Seattle you’ll learn some things about the fans,” Bellotti said.
Most of Oregon’s roster comprises players from California who are more accustomed to the USC-UCLA and California-Stanford rivalries than any rivalry in the Northwest. Bellotti said while Oregon and Washington natives on the Ducks’ roster may try influence the Californians, there are other factors involved.
“Certainly over the years they’ve heard stories or been involved in incidents where the fans or the actions of the fans probably influenced them more than the actions of the players,” Bellotti said.
Bellotti also made it clear who Oregon’s main rival is.
“Our greatest rival is Oregon State,” he said. “Our second greatest rival is Washington, based on history and geographical borders.”