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While it might not have the storied status of the Iron Bowl, the Holy War or the Red River Rivalry on the national stage, the Civil War between Oregon and Oregon State has had its share of memorable - and even downright weird - moments.
Take for instance the 1983 Civil War, a 0-0 rain-drenched exercise in futility dubbed ''The Toilet Bowl.''
This season the top-ranked Ducks (11-0, 8-0 Pac-10) visit Reser Stadium just a win away from a bid in the national championship game. The Beavers? They're hoping to become bowl eligible.
''This is basically like the big brother-little brother backyard brawl,'' said Ducks cornerback Cliff Harris. ''I'm excited and I'm ready for it.''
Asked who was the big brother on Saturday, Harris replied: ''You know, we're the big brother.''
That didn't sit well with Oregon State quarterback Ryan Katz.
''We'll see the score and how it comes out Saturday after the game,'' he said with a blank expression. ''We'll see what happens then.''
But before any assumptions are made that Oregon State's incentive lies in spoiling Oregon's bid to play on Jan. 10 in Arizona, coach Mike Riley said the Beavers (5-6, 4-4) are far less devious.
''The motivation is to win the game, first and foremost. ... We're not necessarily concerned about knocking them out of anything,'' Riley said Tuesday. ''Our goal is to win the game, and the residual would be that we would be bowl eligible.''
Last season was arguably the most hyped Civil War. Dubbed the ''War of the Roses,'' either team would clinch a Rose Bowl berth with a win. The Ducks claimed the trip to Pasadena with a 37-33 victory.
The rivalry started in 1894, when Oregon State - then Oregon Agricultural College - won 16-0. In 1916, Oregon defeated OAC 27-0, giving the Ducks a 6-0-1 regular-season record and their first-ever appearance in the Rose Bowl, where they defeated Penn 14-0.
Back in 1933 the Civil War was notable because of the so-called ''pyramid play.'' Oregon's extra-point attempt was blocked by Clyde Devine, who was lifted off the field by his teammates. The Ducks defeated Oregon State 13-3, and the play was banned soon thereafter by the NCAA.
In 1962, the Beavers and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Terry Baker trailed 17-6 at halftime but dominated the second half. Baker's 13-yard touchdown pass to Danny Espalin in the fourth quarter sealed a 20-17 victory.
A week after defeating top-ranked USC and O.J. Simpson 3-0 on a muddy November day in 1967, the Beavers' famous ''Giant Killers'' came back from a 10-0 deficit to win the first Civil War at the new Autzen Stadium, 14-10.
The Toilet Bowl in 1983 featured 11 fumbles, five interceptions and four missed field goals.
''It was almost like neither team wanted to win,'' Oregon coach Rich Brooks was quoted as saying. It was the last scoreless college football game ever.
Jerry Pettibone got his only win after 10 straight losses in his first season as Beavers coach in 1991, when quarterback Ian Shields, playing with a broken big toe, scored on a 6-yard bootleg for the go-ahead touchdown. Oregon State won 14-3, their first victory in Eugene in 18 years.
The Ducks entered the 1994 Civil War tied with Southern Cal for the Pac-10 championship and needed a win to clinch their first Rose Bowl berth since 1957. Trailing 13-10, Danny O'Neil drove the team 70 yards, hitting Dino Philyaw for a 19-yard touchdown with 3:47 to play, giving Oregon a 17-13 victory.
In 2000, the No. 8 Beavers denied the fifth-ranked Ducks a trip to Pasadena with a 23-13 victory. Joey Harrington threw five interceptions in the game and cried in the aftermath.
The Beavers snapped a 10-game winning streak for the home team in 2007 when James Rodgers scored on a fly sweep in overtime for a 38-31 victory. The next year the Beavers were headed to the Rose Bowl with a victory in the final game when the Ducks romped to a 65-38 win in Corvallis.
Coach Riley grew up in Corvallis and his father, Bud, was an assistant Beavers coach, so he's seen his share of Civil Wars.
But unlike other rivalries he's been involved in over his career, the game between the Ducks and the Beavers both polarizes the state and brings it together.
''With our state being relatively small you're going to know about this game, you're going to be on one side or the other. There's no fence-riding and it's probably the biggest sporting event in our state every year,'' he said. ''The other side of it is the games have gotten bigger and bigger for many reasons, not just winning the Civil War.''
