Oregon's path to College Football Playoff begins Friday against Oregon State

Rivalry games always carry an intense atmosphere, but Oregon will be playing for more than just bragging rights in the Civil War against Oregon State on Friday. The Ducks need a win to make the Pac-12 Championship Game against Washington and keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive.

If Oregon were to lose and Arizona beats Arizona State, the Wildcats would own the tiebreaker because they beat the Beavers earlier this year. Justin Hopkins of ScoopDuck joined On3‘s Andy Staples on Tuesday, explaining just how important this game is.

“I’m glad Oregon didn’t play Arizona this year in the desert, because that woulda had disaster written all over it,” Hopkins said. “It’s not very often you go into a rivalry game with a Pac-12 berth on the line. Vegas has Oregon favored in a rematch against Washington.

“So for Oregon, your path to the Playoff is 100% this Friday night. You don’t advance if you don’t win. It’s crazy that people just kind of assume Oregon’s gonna beat Oregon State. These games will get wacky on you.”

The Ducks lost to Oregon State by a score of 38-34 last season, missing out on the Pac-12 Championship. Oregon had a chance to win after driving down to the Beavers 5-yard line but Oregon State’s defense stood strong to prevent the touchdown and hang on for the win.

This year’s team now has a chance to rectify that loss and enters on a five-game winning streak. Quarterback Bo Nix has been playing his best football as the season comes to a close and he attempts to make his case for the Heisman Trophy.

Nix has scored 16 total touchdowns over the past three games while also throwing for at least 350 yards in each contest. Most recently, he finished 24-of-29 passing for 404 yards and six touchdowns in a 49-13 victory against Arizona State.

Oregon has also been one of the elite defensive teams in the Pac-12 with just 16.7 points allowed per game and 310.0 yards allowed per game. That spell trouble for the Beavers offense, which leans on the run. The Ducks rank third in the conference with 96.2 yards allowed per game.

Oregon enters the contest as a 13.5-point home favorite, so the Ducks are expected to take care of business. If that happens, they would get a rematch with Washington with the winner likely advancing to represent the Pac-12 in the Playoff.

Kickoff between Oregon and Oregon State is set for 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday on FOX.