The fierce rivalry between the Oregon Ducks and the Oregon State Beavers is set to remain on hold, with a potential return not expected until at least 2028, according to a report from James Crepea of The Oregonian. Crepea noted that discussions are underway for a matchup in 2028, but the current scheduling conflicts for Oregon State in 2027 complicate matters.
Oregon State”s 2027 schedule includes non-conference games against Portland State, New Mexico, Ole Miss, and BYU, which makes fitting in a game with the Ducks challenging. “We weren”t able to do that,” said Barnes, referring to the scheduling issue. “That was on our side,” he explained.
As the Pac-12 transitions to a new scheduling format in 2026, Oregon State has committed to several non-conference games each season, further complicating the possibility of reviving the rivalry. In 2023, the Big Ten announced its conference opponents from 2024 through 2028. While the complete schedule for 2026 has been published, the future conference matchups are only categorized into home and away without specific dates assigned.
For the Ducks, the only non-conference games confirmed for 2027 are against Eastern Washington and Baylor. With the absence of Oregon State from the lineup, the Ducks will need to secure another non-conference opponent. In 2027, Oregon is set to host just four Big Ten games at Autzen Stadium, which increases the urgency to acquire an additional home game in their non-conference schedule.
While fans of the Ducks may prefer to see a high-profile opponent visit Eugene, it appears more likely that a local FCS program will take the opportunity to compete against them. As conferences expand and travel distances increase, teams may be less inclined to venture to the Pacific Northwest during September.
