9 potential candidates to rename the ‘Civil War’ rivalry between Ducks and Beavers
For the past couple of seasons, the rivalry between the Ducks and the Beavers has gone without a name. Formerly known as the Civil War, the two schools decided to move away from that moniker because the actual American Civil War was fought over slavery.
This decision and the lack of a replacement name have left fans on both sides of the rivalry confused and eager for a name, any name, to call the end-of-season football game here in the state of Oregon.
Earlier this week, Oregon’s Athletic Director Rob Mullens was asked if they had made any progress in finding a new name, and he gave some unfortunate news for fans who are eager to move on from a rivalry with no name.
Oregon AD Rob Mullens was asked about the renaming of the game with Oregon State during appearance on in-house radio show. pic.twitter.com/N9gKIsIcXm
— James Crepea (@JamesCrepea) November 22, 2022
While the powers-at-be are still mulling their options, we decided to take to Twitter and see if there were any decent possibilities out there. Here are some of the best suggestions we got.
The Cascades Classic
It’s got a nice ring to it, for sure. With both campuses set in the Willamette Valley not far from the Oregon Cascade mountain range, this name would do well to pay honor to the beautiful scenery surrounding each school that has unfortunately been hit by wildfires so heavily in recent years.
Willamette Valley Rivalry
Pretty self-explanatory. With both schools enjoying the grass-seed capital of the world at their fingertips, this name rolls off the tongue and sets the stage well.
The Platypus Cup
(Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
This one makes the most sense to me. Quite literally the mix between a duck and a beaver, the Platypus seems to belong in the name. To strengthen the case, consider the fact that the game is already played for ‘The Platypus Trophy.’ Come on. Let’s not overthink this…
The Timber Bowl
Name an industry more important to the state of Oregon than the timber industry. Don’t worry, I’ll wait.
Battle of the Pond
“This pond ain’t big enough for the two of us.”
The I-5 Corridor Clash
It makes sense in general. Though Tyson Alger might try and get some royalties if this were the final decision.
The Civil War
(Photo by Tom Hauck/Getty Images)
It turns out that a lot of the fans want the name to stay the same. When we put out the poll to see some new options, many replied with the fact that they have no desire to see the name change, and don’t know why the Civil War moniker was taken away in the first place.
The Civil Showdown
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
This seems to be a nice concession, keeping the ‘Civil’ aspect of the name, but changing ‘War’ to ‘Showdown.’ Fans could look at the history between Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners for a blueprint. That rivalry was once called the ‘Red River Shootout’ but was changed to ‘Red River Showdown’ or ‘Red River Rivalry’ in an attempt to remove the aspect of gun violence in the name.