The Oregon-Penn State Rivalry is Here

In one of my preseason articles I discussed candidates for Oregon’s new B1G Rivials, and on my list of five potential rivals, Penn State came in at No. 2. After Oregon’s 30-24 win in their house during their most celebrated tradition, it’s clear that the Oregon-Penn State rivalry is taking form. For the second time in less than a year, the Ducks and Nittany Lions have faced off in a closely-fought game, and the Ducks have come out on top.

Both games ended with a Drew Allar pick that put the Ducks in position to ice the game.

What’s clear for Penn State and their fans is their nightmare scenario has arrived. For years they have struggled against Ohio State and Michigan for conference dominance, and often they came up third. Penn State’s head coach James Franklin has gained the reputation that he cannot win big games. Now he has two losses to a newcomer to the B1G in Oregon.

These two losses have to haunt Franklin and Penn State, as they were two opportunities for the Penn State program to make its mark in the conference. Now the Ducks have come to pose another barrier to keep Penn State from reaching the top of the conference. The Nittany Lions still have a shot at the B1G crown this year, but their loss to the Ducks make it that much harder. Penn State has to travel to Ohio State and win if they want to keep their conference hopes alive, and they haven’t faired well against Ohio State in recent years.

Their playoff hopes are also in a good position, as they can afford to drop another game without too much worry, but the Penn State’s fanbase’s belief in a National Championship this season has taken a major hit.

Jordan Davidson runs for a touchdown on fourth down.
(Photo By: Max Unkrich)

Stein vs. Knowles

Beyond just the burgeoning Oregon-Penn State Rivalry ,another rivalry is forming between coordinators. Oregon’s OC Will Stein and Penn State DC Jim Knowles are now locked in a heated rivalry, whether they know it or not.

In 2024 Stein delivered a massive blow to Knowles’ defense in Oregon’s regular season win over Ohio State. Stein took the top off Knowles’ defense with some deep shots from Dillon Gabriel to Evan Stewart and Tez Johnson, giving Oregon enough points to hold on during the final Ohio State drive.

Then in the Rose Bowl last year, Knowles’ got his revenge on Stein and completely smothered the Oregon offense. It didn’t help that Oregon was without Stewart and lost running back Jordan James early.

Now in Round 3, Stein just outworked Knowles again. Knowles’ defense got some pretty significant stops and played incredibly well, but Stein and Dan Lanning added some new wrinkles to the offense to give them the edge when it mattered most — all this after only returning one starter on offense this year.

It feels inevitable that Stein and Knowles will meet again, and we’ll just have to wait to see who takes Round 4.

For the Oregon-Penn State rivalry, there is plenty of hate brewing on the side of Nittany Lions fans. The west coast additions to the B1G were supposed to be soft and easy wins for the B1G elite, but Oregon has proven to be anything but. The Ducks are threatening to take the conference in Year 2 and Penn State fears being stuck in third or fourth best in the conference.

David Marsh 
Portland, Oregon
Top Photo By: Max Unkrich

Natalie Liebhaber, the FishDuck.com Volunteer Editor for this article, works in financial technology in SLC, Utah.

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David Marsh

David Marsh is a high school social studies teacher in Portland, Oregon. As a teacher he is known for telling puns to his students who sometimes laugh out of sympathy, and being both eccentric about history and the Ducks.

David graduated from the University of Oregon in 2012 with Majors in: Medieval Studies, Religious Studies, and Geography. David began following Ducks Football after being in a car accident in 2012; finding football something new and exciting to learn about during this difficult time in his life. Now, he cannot see life without Oregon football.