Oregon vs. Oregon State: The Ultimate Civil War

The Oregon vs. Oregon State meeting is one of the fiercest, most hyped up College Football games in the nation. It is the sixth oldest in-state rivalry in the nation, and each year the rivalry inspires arguments and fights.

The great state of Oregon is literally divided in half; you're either a Beaver or a Duck fan. And just like the war that it is named after, the Civil War, where it is said that, "brother fought brother and father fought son," sometimes families are split down the middle.

But the rivalry goes beyond football, basketball, or even sports. It sometimes enters the realm of politics. Beaver fans are mostly from rural, country communities, while Duck fans are from bigger cities like Portland and of course, Eugene.

Duck fans are wild Republicans, they want to be able to do what they want and have fun doing it. Beavers on the other hand, are conservative Democrats, as evidenced by the recent signing of head basketball coach Craig Robinson, the brother-in-law of presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Now, moving away from politics and back into sports, I will compare the overall records in football and basketball, and decide which program has won the Civil War.

Oregon State's all-time football record is 471-571-50 (.478), but their bowl record is 8-4. They have won five conference championships, their last they shared with Oregon in 2000.

Oregon's all-time football record is 552–467–47 (.541), but their bowl record is only 7-13. They have won seven Pac-10 titles, the last being in 2001.

Despite having a much better bowl record, I will have to say that Oregon State loses out to Oregon in the first half of the Ultimate Civil War. The much better winning percentage plus the seven conference titles give Oregon the lopsided victory.

Oregon's basketball record is 1,390-1,215 (.531). They have won one national championship, which was in 1939. They have won the Pac-10 six times and won the conference tournament twice. 

Oregon State's all time record is 1559-1116 (.582). They have won many conference titles, (I couldn't find the exact number), and have beaten Oregon a collegiate record 179 times. They have never won a national title although they have been in the Final Four twice.

Despite losing 179 times to the Beavers and owning a five percent lower winning percentage, I think the Duck's lone National Title pulls them even with the Beavers. The Beavers may have won more games but the Ducks have won them when it counted.

Overall, Oregon is the winner of the Civil War. Not only are their two main sports teams arguably better, their facilities and the overall landscape of the campus and town far overshadow the Beavers. This can be attributed to super booster and Nike owner Phil Knight, who yearly pledges millions of dollars to Oregon sports.

Once again, Oregon comes out victorious and Oregon State fans are left grumbling about their glory days.