A school record 10-win regular season.
A Heisman Trophy candidate.
A trip to the national championship.
A No. 4 ranking.
Ah, sensory overload.
“Throw it all out the window,” Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti said.
Just forget about the scenarios, the numbers, the history — none of it means anything now. Blood and sweat will tell the true story when the Oregon Ducks and the Oregon State Beavers hit the Autzen Stadium field Saturday at 1:30 p.m. for the 105th edition of the Civil War, a nationally-televised game on ABC.
With at least a share of the Pacific-10 Conference title and a Bowl Championship Series bowl already locked, the fourth-ranked Ducks (9-1 overall, 6-1 Pac-10) enter the game as the favorite on their home turf. But, as Oregon State (5-5, 3-4) proved in last year’s 23-13 upset, anything can — and often does — happen.
“It’s a great football game, and that’s what you coach for,” Oregon State head coach Dennis Erickson said. “It’s hard because of the emotional situation involved. But one thing as a coach, in these games, you don’t have to worry about giving pep talks and getting Knute Rockne’s book out and finding the Gipper or something like that.”
On the line for Oregon is a possible, yet long, shot at the Rose Bowl, the host of this year’s national championship. A win would make Oregon State, coming off consecutive victories over Washington and Northern Arizona, bowl-eligible for the third straight season.

The game will have added motivation for Oregon senior quarterback Joey Harrington, who had six turnovers — five interceptions and one fumble — in last year’s loss in Corvallis.
“Joey will be the first to admit that his performance wasn’t what he wanted,” Bellotti said. “He is very focused and feels like he has
something to prove. He’ll be very excited to erase last season’s memories.”
Good news for the Ducks is that the home team has won the last four meetings between the teams.
“It’s the Civil War, it’s our biggest game of the year, and after last year, we have to take care of business,” Oregon senior tight end Justin Peelle said. “This is my last game here, so it would be incomplete without (a win).”
Asked to describe the significance of the Civil War to someone unfamiliar with the annual rivalry, Harrington said the state has no other loyalties.
“In L.A., you have a lot of things going on. You have the Lakers, the Clippers, pro baseball — you have so much going on,” Harrington said. “In Washington, you have the Sonics and the Seahawks, and so much other stuff. In Oregon, you have the Beavers and the Ducks. And come November, there’s no switching sides — you’re either one side or the other.
“Families get divided, friends get divided, and I don’t want to say it’s a vicious thing, but it really gets your blood going,” he said.
After a slow start this season, Oregon State senior quarterback Jonathan Smith has come on strong in recent weeks, including a 317-yard, two-touchdown performance in a 49-24 win over Washington on Nov. 10.
Another focus of the game will be on the running game, with three featured tailbacks vying to reach the 1,000-yard mark. With 113 yards Saturday, Oregon State senior Ken Simonton could become just the fifth running back in NCAA history to rush for 1,000 yards in all four years.
Coincidentally, Simonton rushed for 113 yards and one touchdown in last year’s Civil War.
“Winning the Civil War will last a lot longer in Ken Simonton’s mind than reaching that record,” Erickson said.
Oregon’s Maurice Morris and Onterrio Smith could become just the second tag team in Pac-10 history to each rush for 1,000 yards. Smith has rushed for 977 yards in 10 games this season, while Morris has 858 yards in nine games.