Are the Oregon State Beavers the Oregon Ducks' Biggest Rival?

I know that just about all Oregon Ducks fans hate the Oregon State Beavers, but is there a more hated rival?

We all know who the Beavers hate the most, the Ducks. However, the Ducks have someone else in mind.

It all started in 1948, when Oregon and the University of California tied for the best record in the Pacific Coast League. The winner would go on to play in the Rose Bowl. Oregon was snubbed out of the Rose Bowl when the Huskies talked the University of Montana, then a member of the PCL, into voting for the Cal Bears.

The rivalry has grown ever since.

In 1962, Larry Hill of the Ducks, was tackled by Washington fans while trying to make the game winning touchdown catch.

In 1995, Washington head coach Jim Lambright, lobbied for the Huskies to be selected into the Cotton Bowl instead of the Ducks. However, he was unsuccessful. Bud Withers of the Seattle post intelligencer then wrote that his actions "invited at least another half century worth of bile from Oregon fans". Indeed.

Later, Rick Neuheisel was hired as head coach for Washington in 1999. Most Oregon fans remembered him from the 1996 Cotton Bowl between Oregon and the Colorado Buffaloes, where "Slick Rick" was the head coach. During that game he decided he would call a fake punt while his team led 38-6. 

The rivalry took another turn when Neuheisel celebrated a win at Autzen Stadium by taking pictures and jumping up and down on the "O" in the middle of the field. Oregon fans would not forget.

Soon after his hire, the Ducks accused Neuheisel of recruiting violations. He was let go in 2002.

During the darker years of Oregon football, 80's and early 90's, the Huskies ruled the Northwest. This did not go over well with the Ducks. They hated them more than ever. Their team was down, their biggest rival up. And the Husky fans made sure Oregon knew it.

Now the tide has turned. Oregon is top dog in the Northwest, and the Huskies are feeding off the scraps, left behind by the ducks wake through the Pac-10. Trust me, no one knows it more than the Ducks and Huskies. The Ducks are riding a six game winning streak against the Huskies. They can now point and laugh at the Huskies. Not so great, is it?

When did this change? How did this come about? I'll tell you this—it started in 1994.

The '94 contest between the Oregon and Washington featured a play that forever changed Oregon football. That game will always be remembered as "The Pick."

Kenny Wheaton intercepted a pass off the no.9 ranked Huskies when the Ducks led 24-20, and the Huskies in scoring position. Wheaton returned the pick 97 yards for a touchdown to clinch the game. Prior to that game, Oregon had only beaten Washington three times in 20 years.

The win catapulted the Ducks to their first Rose Bowl since 1958. The Oregon Ducks have'nt looked back ever since.

Every fan has their different opinions, but if you asked Ducks fans which team they hate with every fiber of their body, most would say "the damn dawgs."