EUGENE, Ore. — Fans are getting ready for a massive weekend in Eugene, as the Oregon Ducks football team get set to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday afternoon. This is the first time two teams ranked in the top five in the country will face each other at Autzen Stadium.
Ohio State is ranked No. 2, while Oregon is ranked No. 3.
Fans mingled around the quad on Oregon’s campus on Friday, where ESPN’s popular traveling show "College GameDay" will broadcast live on Saturday morning. This is the 12th time "College GameDay" has been broadcast from the University of Oregon and the first time since 2022.
Rece Davis, host of "GameDay," spoke to KGW on Friday about the importance of this game: “People know big games here; there have been a lot of big games here. There has never been one like this, never been a top five matchup — certainly never been a top three matchup — at Autzen. So, there has never been a game like this, but there have been numerous big games.”
The Ducks are 8-3 in those previous "GameDay" appearances.
Fans began lining up as early as noon on Friday for the "GameDay" show, which starts at 6 a.m. Saturday morning.
Numerous Ohio State fans also made the trek to Eugene for the game.
“We’ve been here all week, incredibly welcoming experience. The fans have been awesome; it’s been really cool,” said Mike McDaniel, a Buckeye fan from Arizona.
Eugene resident and Ducks fan Rick Harrison doesn’t think Ohio State will be able to handle the pressure of playing in Autzen Stadium.
“I have never been in a place like Autzen Stadium, especially when they get to the end of the third quarter and that twist and shout — they will be twisting and shouting with us,” he declared.
Fans, of course, were divided on who will come out on top. History shows that though Oregon won the last meeting with the Buckeyes in Columbus in 2021, Ohio State won the nine previous matchups. The first meeting between Ohio State and Oregon was in the 1958 Rose Bowl, which Ohio State won 10-7, capping Woody Hayes’ first national championship.
A win would make the Ducks 6-0 for the first time since 2013.
The game kicks off at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. The game can be seen in the Portland area on KGW.
The Associated Press contributed to the reporting of this story.
