How Renewing the Civil War Is Beneficial To Both Oregon State And Oregon

Oregon State running back Damien Martinez is tackled by the Oregon defense during the second half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Nov. 24, 2023, in Eugene, Ore. Oregon won 31-7. (AP Photo/Mark Ylen)

By STEVEN VAUGHAN, 750 THE GAME

When the news broke that Oregon was heading to the Big 10 there were a lot of angry fans on both the Ducks and Beavers sides. But there was also tons of questions. One of the biggest question was how are these two teams going to continue playing the Civil War rivalry game going forward?

According to John Canzano, the Civil War football game will be played in 2024 and both schools are hoping to continue playing the game into the future.

To me it sounds like great news, but for some Ducks and Beavers fans they don’t see the point. Some Ducks fans don’t want to take a risk and play your rival in the non-conference. And some Beavers fans don’t want to play Oregon because they feel like Oregon ruined the Pac-12 conference.

John Canzano on the Bald Faced Truth says that the Civil War football game is very beneficial for both schools.

“From Oregon’s standpoint, it’s money,” Canzano said on 750 The Game. “It comes back to money. Oregon likes the idea of having that game on the schedule in those odd number years for the home season ticket sales. It really balances their schedule out. Gives them a guaranteed sellout for a non-conference window that normally is a little tricky to try to sell tickets to.”

The Beavers are in the Pac-2 right now with Washington State. The reason it’s the Pac-2 is because of the Ducks in a lot of fans minds. But Canzano states the case why Oregon State would want to play this game year after year.

“From Oregon State’s standpoint, it’s a quality opponent at home that they can go out to FOX, go out to CBS, they can go to ESPN and ABC and they can say ‘Hey, we’ve got this Oregon game. Would you like to buy it?’ I think there’s a win-win from a monetary standpoint.”

Canzano says that playing Oregon, especially at Reser Stadium, is part of a bigger plan for Oregon State to stay relevant and make some money.

“Oregon State is focused on getting seven home games. Why? Because you can package those and sell those to a media partner.”

Listen to the full segment at the start of the podcast below. Catch the Bald Faced Truth with John Canzano weekdays 3-6 p.m. in Portland exclusively on 750 The Game.