Oregon is preparing to enter its second season in the B1G. Though rivalries can take a long time to develop, it feels like we have some new rivalries brewing in the B1G. For the sake of simplicity I am not counting USC, UCLA and Washington on this list. They are our established longtime rivals from the Pac-12, and our hatred ...

Oregon's Top 5 New Rivalries in the BIG

I thought Maryland would be an interesting choice for cultural reasons. Nike vs Under Armour. Pacific Coast vs Atlantic Coast. Uniforms galore. But Maryland really is more of a basketball school. Mike Locksley is likely on the hot seat this season, so it will be interesting to see if the Terrapins decide to invest in their football program with a guy that can build that place up if Mike is let go after this year.

My other interesting choices would be Nebraska or Iowa. Both have pretty strong football history and strong fanbases. I know they aren't as exciting picks as the big three, but both have potential to be ten win teams if everything goes right. Do you believe in Rhule as the guy to finally fix Nebraska? He broke the decade plus stretch of not winning a bowl game just this past season. Dylan Raiola is a potential dark horse to become a Heisman contender.

With Iowa it's more about having just a pulse on offense. They got the transfer QB from North Dakota State, and apparently he has impressed in Spring and Summer camp. If he can just get them to average twenty points they could be a threat with Phil Parker's defense.

14 minutes ago, GatOrlando said:

My other interesting choices would be Nebraska

Nebraska makes my extended list. We split a home and home with them in 2016 and 17.

But a big part of a rivalry is the hate and I think Michigan beats out Nebraska right now because Michigan fans are probably annoyed by us. Where there isnt anything between Ducks and Cornhuskers.

Michigan State has the Oregon State connection with Johnathan Smith and we've played them the most of any B1G team in the last twenty years.

7 minutes ago, David Marsh said:

Nebraska makes my extended list. We split a home and home with them in 2016 and 17.

But a big part of a rivalry is the hate and I think Michigan beats out Nebraska right now because Michigan fans are probably annoyed by us. Where there isnt anything between Fucks and Cornhuskers.

Michigan State has the Oregon State connection with Johnathan Smith and we've played them the most of any B1G team in the last twenty years.

I agree with the list. Those games against Wisconsin were great in the 2000's, and you guys split with the Spartans in the 2010's. Plus the former Bevis coach being there like you said. I think Ohio State will have to respect Oregon as a major threat to their B1G recruiting crown going forward, as well as on the field.

Michigan is one of the most arrogant fan bases I've ever had the honor of coming across. They think their majestic blue is above reproach, and take dogs at any program for taking shortcuts, but you must not question the integrity of their Michigan men like John Harbaugh. The guy who got several suspensions for recruiting violations, including a big one during the pandemic. Let's not even begin to talk about Stallions.

Penn State and Ohio State have their fair share of arrogance as well. But they will be more open to calling Oregon a rival. Michigan will only accept Oregon after the Ducks beat them several more times and win a couple National Titles. They view USC as the only true program from the PAC Four additions that merit their attention as a potential new rival.

My picks

1. tOSU is an interesting rivalry. 0-3 in bowl games, playoffs and championships but 2-0 in the regular season.

2. Michigan. I love this one. Two double digit road wins in the last twenty years gives OBD some instant cred in this one.

3. Penn St. Just one BIG championship game victory and OBD is already looking down on the BIG's best of the rest.

4. Wisconsin. I love the Rose Bowl history here. Two scrappy wins against a scrappy foe. Last year's road struggle shouldn't have been a surprise according to the history.

5. Iowa. Maybe the most concerned team about OBD's BIG arrival. The go to pick for number four in the conference now looks like number five at best. They need to come up with some upsets and create a rivalry or they may simply slide into mid tier irrelevance.

Slotting in our old Pac rivalries, I'd put fuskies at 1.5, SUC at 3.5 and UCLA at yawn.

tOSU

Michigan

PSU

Wisconsin/Iowa to a degree unless they’re about to stay mediocre.

That’s it from my view, and it’s plenty given we have 3 rivals from the real PAC.

We’ve beat Michigan 3 straight including twice on the road, I would hope that might fire them up a little.

The rest of the conference is wildly inconsistent and with schedule rotation we won’t play any of them enough (prior to the new “super conference” starting within a few years) to develop anything imo.

Edited 4 hours ago4 hr by JabbaNoBargain

1 hour ago, The Kamikaze Kid said:

Slotting in our old Pac rivalries, I'd put fuskies at 1.5, SUC at 3.5 and UCLA at yawn.

I think our old Pac-12 rivalries in particular Washington and USC are our no. 1 and 2 rivals right now. We have the history and the hate.

They don't have that new match up feel but rivalries don't have a new feel to them anyways... They are old and full of mutual distain.

Right now we are planting the seeds with our new rivals. They will take years to emerge.

1 hour ago, JabbaNoBargain said:

tOSU

Michigan

PSU

Wisconsin/Iowa to a degree unless they’re about to stay mediocre.

That’s it from my view, and it’s plenty given we have 3 rivals from the real PAC.

We’ve beat Michigan 3 straight including twice on the road, I would hope that might fire them up a little.

The rest of the conference is wildly inconsistent and with schedule rotation we won’t play any of them enough (prior to the new “super conference” starting within a few years) to develop anything imo.

I didn't put it in the article... I've been writing articles too long lately as it is... But there is also a recruiting rivalry side of things.

Oregon recruits the best against the best. So we step on other team's toes all the time. USC thinks they are eating our lunch right now in recruiting with their class of 30+ but we'll see how it shakes out.

I think it is a little early to be picking "rivalries." The Ducks don't have a us vs them record of significance against most of these teams. Rivalries tend to develop as a result of events that piss off one or both sides.

Did several games in a row come down to the last 5 minutes? Did one coach diss the fans of the other? Were their controversial calls by the refs? Is the series dominated by home wins vs road wins? Were the games a major factor in determining bowl assignment? And, so on, and, so on.

Iowa? The last game was in 1994. Both the 1989 and 1994 games featured Iowa teams that were weak in those seasons. Iowa already has rivalries which include trophy games and from their perspective they may not see Oregon as a budding rivalry. Their historical rivals are Minnesota (especially) and Wisconsin. Though the Big Ten has pushed a third trophy game (Nebraska) as a rival. Iowa has more "protected rivals" in annual scheduling than any other Big Ten team. Plus, they play Iowa State annually in non-conference.

I think more time and games have to pass before there is a pairing other than UO vs UW for rivalry status.

Thanks, David, for another terrific article that helps whet the appetite even more with the start of the 2025 season, which thankfully, is now on the horizon.

With an 18-team mega conference with only one permanent opponent, the Other School Up North, rivalries are more difficult to develop and maintain. Even in the old/real Pac-12, with the addition of CU and Utah, and the USC, UCLA, California scheduling agreement, the rivalries with the LA schools did not seem the same without annual matchups.

B1G commissioner Tony Petitti and B1G HQ are reviewing the schedules for all sports to see if travel can be reduced, particularly travel to and from the West Coast. The travel burden is more of a concern with sports other than football, but we could see the LA schools being added as permanent opponents in football, which would add at least one more season of games before playing all of the Big Ten teams.

With three of the B1G's five Blue Chip Roster teams in the Eastern time zone, I doubt that we will see a return to divisions in football, but divisions could make sense for all of the other sports with a Western Division of the West Coast schools and five of the Central time zone's Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Northwestern.

The conference has done a good job of alleviating travel, with no two-time zone away games, but it cannot eliminate all situations that favor one team over the opponent. This season, OBD is on the road at Iowa playing on Saturday before returning home to play Minnesota on Friday night. And the Gophers do not play the previous weekend. If the opponent were Ohio State, Penn State, or Michigan, there would probably be more furor over this scheduling quirk.

Yes, OBD is 2-10 versus the Buckeyes, but according to many Bucks, the Rose Bowl beat down on the way to the title was their favorite game. And OBD and Ohio State are frequently going against one another in recruiting top talent. Michigan should be on OBD's rivals' radar. Michigan is the USC of the B1G. 'We don't play on Friday nights because we don't want to, and we are Michigan.'

Seasons when OBD is scheduled to play all of its 'rivals' are rare. In 2027, Oregon plays Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, and UW, plus Nebraska, Iowa, and UCLA, but no USC. This schedule is a recipe to brew rivalries, but who in the heck would want to do this every season?

Thanks again, David, and Bob Them Cats!

2 hours ago, GatOrlando said:

I thought Maryland would be an interesting choice for cultural reasons. Nike vs Under Armour. Pacific Coast vs Atlantic Coast. Uniforms galore. But Maryland really is more of a basketball school. Mike Locksley is likely on the hot seat this season, so it will be interesting to see if the Terrapins decide to invest in their football program with a guy that can build that place up if Mike is let go after this year.

My other interesting choices would be Nebraska or Iowa. Both have pretty strong football history and strong fanbases. I know they aren't as exciting picks as the big three, but both have potential to be ten win teams if everything goes right. Do you believe in Rhule as the guy to finally fix Nebraska? He broke the decade plus stretch of not winning a bowl game just this past season. Dylan Raiola is a potential dark horse to become a Heisman contender.

With Iowa it's more about having just a pulse on offense. They got the transfer QB from North Dakota State, and apparently he has impressed in Spring and Summer camp. If he can just get them to average twenty points they could be a threat with Phil Parker's defense.

Locksley went way over the coach-speak line at B1G media days when he said he lost the locker room in 2024, over NIL paid players lording it over the 'peasants.'

The only thing Maryland has done of football note happened in 1962, when Maryland coach Lee Corso brought in an African American transfer, Darryl Hill, from the Naval Academy and integrated the ACC.

Iowa QB Gronowski was raised in Illinois, but he played at and transferred in from South Dakota State. The only reason I note this is because Lincoln Kienholz, who grew up in South Dakota where he was all-state in football and baseball, is in a battle with Julian Sayin for the starting QB job at Ohio State. (Or at least a battle to make it harder for Sark to game plan?) Two B1G starters with ties to South Dakota would be unique.

Only 11 more days before CFB kicks off in Dublin, Ireland. 😍

1 hour ago, Jon Joseph said:

but we could see the LA schools being added as permanent opponents in football, which would add at least one more season of games before playing all of the Big Ten teams.

I would love that.

I know it makes zero financial sense for the B1G but if Cal and Stanford were added to the B1G and there was a west coast pod I'd be incredibly happy.

I won't miss the Arizona schools or CU or Utah as much as I miss playing the old Pac-8. And I am not old enough to have any concept of the Pac-8 but that's where the West coast football tradition lived and it could be felt.

As for OSU and WSU... Yeah... They'll need to invest a ton to get P4 recognition.

But I'd love to see Oregon v Washington and USC every year.