Armen Keuilian

A rivalry game that the Trojans could win

yndon Johnson was president.
The Super Bowl didn't have a Roman numeral by its name yet.
And Oregon State had just ended a string of three straight losses against USC, shutting out a USC football team that would eventually go on to win the national championship for a 3-0 win.
The year was 1967.
That is the last time the Beavers beat USC, making it a string of 22 straight losses over a span of 28 years.
Since then, Oregon State has had three winning seasons--none since 1970--while USC has won four national championships and had three Heisman trophy winners.
USC has beaten the Beavers by more than 20 points 18 times and more than 30 points 11 times, including a 63-0 shellacking in 1985.
USC leads the overall series 49-7-4, with Oregon State winning the first two meetings in 1914 and 1916.
So the question is: why isn't this a rivalry?
Notre Dame has cleaned our clocks for 13 consecutive seasons.
UCLA has beaten us for five.
The Irish have beaten Navy every year since 1964.
So, as it has been defined by these three great historical rivalries, the USC-Oregon State matchup should be right up there at the top.
Think about it... instead of a shillelagh, we can pass a giant Oregon redwood between us, U-Hauled and replanted from site to site, every time the teams face off.
We would be forced to write a Tusk-like song for all to scream at the highly anticipated Oregon State pep rally.
At that pep rally we can burn yet another little furry creature, and this time we can stuff it first.
Not to mention, think about all the funny jokes we can make about the Beavers.
Instead of going to the Bay Area for the Weekender, we can take the 5 freeway all the way up to Corvallis for all the fun Oregon has to offer, with a discount rate of course.
Plus, who wouldn't want to win a rivalry every once in a while? By adding Oregon State to the list, USC could have something to feel good about at the end of the year.
"Well, at least we beat the Beavers!"
It goes without saying that USC needs a new rivalry within the Pacific 10 Conference. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty tired of admitting we can't beat our cross-town "rivals" in anything but crime prevention, and how can we brag about that?
Imagine the attendance numbers. Just by making Oregon State a rival, we could sell out the Coliseum for one more game. Everyone knows we only sell out two games a season, so it's an economical decision as well.
And for Oregon State, how many times do you see a Beaver on national television, save for reruns of "Leave It To Beaver."
So come on, Oregon State, the Victory Bell tolls for thee.
You are already our Navy, but who knows? If you become our rival, you may become our next Notre Dame.