Ahead of a pivotal matchup on the road at No. 2 Penn State, the No. 6 Oregon Ducks have a tune-up against longtime rival Oregon State.
The spread is massive by the rivalry’s standards, with the Ducks favored by nearly five touchdowns. And the two programs appear to be heading in opposite directions: Oregon is on another march to pursue its first national championship, and Oregon State is reeling amid conference realignment and three disappointing losses to begin the 2025 season.
These teams won’t meet again until 2027. Could this be the most lopsided game in the rivalry’s history (current record: 69-10 Oregon in 2017), or could the Beavers start to turn their season around with a competitive performance at Autzen Stadium?
Oregon State (0-3) at No. 6 Oregon (3-0)
When: Saturday, Sept. 20
Time: 12 p.m. PT
Where: Autzen Stadium, Eugene
TV channel: Big Ten Network
Watch: You can watch this game live for free with Fubo (free trial), or with DirecTV (free trial).
Stream: DirecTV (free trial) or Fubo (promotional offers) or Sling (college football season pass is just $199). Streaming broadcasts for this game will be available on these streaming services locally in Oregon and Washington, but may not be available outside of the Pacific Northwest, depending on your location.
Odds: Oregon by 34.5; over/under 56.5 (Action Network)
A TALE OF TWO QUARTERBACKS
Dante Moore is emerging as a leading Heisman contender as the Ducks steamroll through their early season schedule. While his performance against Penn State next week is likely to have a greater impact on his candidacy (and the Ducks’ Big Ten fortunes), this game against the Beavers is an opportunity to pad the stats if things go right.
Oregon State has just one sack all season. Dan Lanning’s teams pride themselves in quality offensive line play, and if Moore has enough time to air it out, Oregon’s playmakers will be going against a young and injured OSU secondary. That is a recipe for a rapidly changing scoreboard akin to the one in Space Jam.
On the other side, Maalik Murphy is the most talented quarterback Oregon has faced thus far with a big arm and winning experience. His offensive line is a patchwork, and it faced some pointed criticism from its position coach this week, but Murphy hasn’t been sacked as much as one might think (twice per game). That number could see a significant increase with players like A’Mauri Washington and Matayo Uiagalelei bursting through, however.
Even if he isn’t brought to the ground, a hurried Murphy has been a turnover-prone Murphy of late. His two interceptions in a road loss to Texas Tech were both under duress, and he’s thrown five total this season to six touchdowns. Can Murphy find a consistent rhythm against a defense of this caliber? It could mean the difference between a competitive effort and a historic blowout.
BIG PLAY ABILITY
Oregon has a chance to break off numerous big plays against Oregon State, given the caliber of playmakers Moore will have at his disposal. Kenyon Sadiq, Dakorien Moore, Malik Benson and a stable of running backs are all a different level of athlete than the Beavers have faced thus far.
Texas Tech had a lot of success finding its own athletic tight end, Terrance Carter Jr., in the passing game at all three levels against OSU. He had six receptions for 102 yards and a touchdown. With all the hype around Sadiq as potentially the best tight end in the country, the Ducks have to be licking their chops while watching that film.
Not to mention, OSU gave up two first downs against Texas Tech with more than 30 yards to go. It was among the reasons head coach Trent Bray criticized his team’s effort postgame, saying players simply weren’t running to the ball.
If the Beavers don’t run after the Ducks, their rivals will surely run away with this one.
PLAYING FOR PRIDE
Oregon State players have heard the noise all week: most lop-sided matchup in rivalry game history, little brother vs. big brother, a tune-up before a much bigger game for Oregon.
But the Beavers have more than just their head coach’s future on the line: What sort of enthusiasm can one expect from the OSU fanbase come 2027 if this matchup sets records in its sheer disparity? And how can the Beavers expect to turn their season around if the building blocks aren’t there this week, even in a loss?
An upset would be a massive catalyst, and a sense of euphoric revenge unlike any Oregon State fans have felt before. Short of that, the Beavers just need to show they care against the Ducks for hope to linger amid a potential 0-4 start. We didn’t see that last week in Lubbock.
The schedule does open up from here for OSU. A show of pride against Oregon is all fans (and especially coaches) are asking for.
THEY SAID IT
“It’s certainly a game that I hope stays on the schedule, for the opportunity to get to play somebody in-state. Obviously, we travel a little bit more at the Big Ten. I know their conference is going to be reset and different, and they’re going to be traveling a little bit more. I think it makes sense to have teams that can play each other. They’re relatively close. And again, I think it’s what, 129 years that this rivalry has existed? That’s something you’d like to keep alive.” —Dan Lanning
SERIES HISTORY
Oregon leads the all-time series, 68-51-10. It took care of business against the Beavers last season, winning 49-14.
PREDICTION
Oregon 59, Oregon State 14