Oregon vs. Oregon State rivalry: Why is series no longer called the Civil War?

Once called the "Oregon Classic" or the "State Championship Game" in its early days, one of the oldest college football rivalries has been played between the Oregon and Oregon State football teams since 1894.

The Ducks lead the all-time series 68-49-10, and on Saturday at Reser Stadium in Corvallis they'll be looking for another win after defeating the Beavers last season in Eugene, 31-7.

From 1929 to 2020, the rivalry was commonly referred to as the "Civil War," but that name was discontinued in a mutual agreement by both universities.

Why Oregon vs. Oregon State is no longer called the Civil War

With athletes, alumni, boosters and others questioning the use of the name, the usage of the "Civil War" name was discontinued in 2020 following a wave of name changes across the country sparked by the George Floyd protests.

On June 26, 2020, the University of Oregon and Oregon State University mutually agreed to no longer refer to the rivalry as the Civil War, following "mutual discussions as well as conversations with university officials and input from current and former student-athletes from both schools."

Oregon Athletic Director Rob Mullens said that former Duck quarterback Dennis Dixon was a "catalyst for change" in the decision and raised the question to school officials.

"We must all recognize the power of words and the symbolism associated with the Civil War," Mullens said in a statement in 2020. "This mutual decision is in the best interests of both schools, and I would like to thank (OSU athletic director) Scott Barnes for his diligence as we worked through this process. We look forward to our continued and fierce in-state rivalry with Oregon State in all sports."

The game still hasn't found a replacement name and has been referred to as the Oregon-Oregon State rivalry.

Then-OSU President Ed Ray said in a statement: "Changing this name is overdue as it represents a connection to a war fought to perpetuate slavery. While not intended as a reference to the actual Civil War, OSU sports competition should not provide any misconstrued reference to this divisive episode in American history. That we did not act before to change the name was a mistake. We do so now, along with other important actions to advance equal opportunity and justice for all and in recognition that Black Lives Matter."

The future of the Oregon-Oregon State rivalry after Pac-12 collapse

Following the collapse of the Pac-12 Conference as we know it last August — with Oregon now in the Big Ten and Oregon State in a Pac-12 that features just itself and Washington State — the rivalry between in-state foes was not on the schedule in 2024.

Last December, the schools shuffled their schedules around and will play one another for at least the next two seasons: this Saturday and next year at Autzen Stadium in September 2025.

Beyond that, because the Ducks and Beavers don't play in the same conference anymore, the series' future is in question.

Last season, Oregon coach Dan Lanning said he would like to see the series continue.

"I think that's a good thing for college football," Lanning said. "It's a rivalry that certainly means something to us here and I think means something to them. It's good to see games like that still exist."

Alec Dietz covers University of Oregon football, volleyball, women’s basketball and baseball for The Register-Guard. You may reach him at adietz@registerguard.com and you can follow him on X @AlecDietz.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon Ducks vs. Oregon State Beavers: Why schools renamed rivalry