College football and college sports as a whole have drastically changed over the past several years for better and worse. One of the biggest changes came when conference realignment struck, shifting all the power to the Big Ten and the SEC. Part of the issue everyone has with the new era is the rivalries we lost in the power shift.
Oregon is one of the programs in a weird place as the Ducks are just two seasons into their time in the Big Ten, and the rivalries are still being built. As the Ducks settle into the Big Ten, it’s hard not to look back at some of the clashes from the time in the Pac 12, and wish the Ducks could clash against a former foe again.
The 3 lost rivalries from Oregon’s Pac 12 era
Utah Utes
While Oregon and Utah didn’t hate each other quite like some of the rivals in the Pac 12, the Utes were among the most competitive teams with the Ducks over the last decade. In the last ten matchups, Oregon holds a slight 6-4 lead over the Utes, but overall the Ducks have dominated the rivalry with a 25-12 record.
The game was last played in 2023 with a resounding 35-6 win in favor of the Ducks, extending their winning streak to 2 games. While we may not see these teams again in the regular season, with the variance in the Big 12, there’s a chance we could see the matchup once again in the College Football Playoff.
Stanford Cardinal
Oregon Vs Stanford never got enough credit for how good a rivalry it became in the early 2010s, with pivotal top 5 clashes with true National Championship stakes. The Ducks fans will never have any love for the Cardinal after the losses in 2012 and 2013, or even earlier in 2006, but Oregon also had its moments in 2010 and 2011. While the two programs may never reach the level of hatred the battle once had, the Ducks would love to narrow Stanford’s 50-36-1 record in the rivalry…