Hayden Crook recalls watching the Civil War when there never seemed to be a clear favorite.

From 1997 through 2007, Oregon and Oregon State swapped victories in the annual rivalry football game each year, the home team winning each time.

“I remember growing up watching it, and you just never knew,” says Crook, a redshirt freshman kicker for the Ducks out of Bend High. “You never knew.”

But Oregon has won the past five Civil War meetings and is a 23-point favorite for today’s 117th version.

The Beavers last Civil War win was in 2007, a 38-31 double-overtime triumph in Eugene. Since then, the Ducks have dominated the rivalry.

Oregon beat OSU 37-33 in 2009 to earn a trip to the Rose Bowl. The Ducks’ 37-20 victory at Reser Stadium in 2010 clinched a national title game berth. In 2011, Oregon won 49-21 to once again reach the Rose Bowl. Then last year, defeated the Beavers 48-24 to seal a bid to the Fiesta Bowl.

“For us, the past few years, there’s always been something at stake,” Crook says.

This time around the only thing at stake might be whether the Ducks are headed to the Alamo or Holiday bowls.

Oregon (9-2, No. 13 BCS) is coming off an embarrassing 42-16 loss at Arizona, so it will be interesting to see if the Ducks can bounce back at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. With no chance to make the BCS Championship Game or the Rose Bowl, will the Ducks play lackluster like they did last week, or will they find renewed energy to take out their frustrations on their in-state rival?

November has been a tough month for both teams. Oregon has gone 1-2 this month and Oregon State (6-5) has lost four straight, the latest a 69-27 home beating to Washington.

Despite Oregon’s recent dominance in the rivalry, Duck fans and players are not taking the Beavers lightly.

“It’s definitely a heated rivalry that’s really fun,” Crook says. “They (the Beavers) have a lot of talent, and so they always are trying to knock us off. Going to Reser last year was really fun, because you see the fans all heated and just yelling. It’s a fun environment to be in as a competitor. It’s like the Bend High-Mountain View rivalry times a hundred.”

Crook, a walk-on who has suited up for every game this season but has not played, is among the few Oregonians on UO’s roster.

The Ducks have just 24 players from the state on their 111-man roster. And most current UO players have never lost the Civil War.

“A lot of the guys have seen the rivalry, but they’ve only seen the winning side of it,” Crook says. “I think I understand the rivalry more being an Oregon guy. Being from out of state would totally change how you view the Civil War.”

Crook says that in rivalry games something “crazy” is always possible.

“We’ve been fortunate the last few years we’ve played really well, and they’ve been down a little bit,” Crook says. “I’m sure if they knock us down it will make their season.”

Many Duck fans in Central Oregon are nervous about today’s Civil War.

“I think the rivalry is as strong as ever,” says Jason Fleck, the president of the Oregon Club of Central Oregon. “I think you throw the records out in a game like this. Regardless of what the rankings are, it’s always going to be a hard-fought game. When we were going back and forth every year with them (1997 to 2006), I had a hard time going to the game, because I would just get too nervous about it.”

In Central Oregon, the two fan bases appear to be fairly equal in numbers. In some regards, that makes the Civil War even more important for Duck and Beaver fans in this part of the state. If your team loses, you might have to hear about it for a year from fans of the other side.

“You drive around and you look at stickers on the back of people’s cars … I think it’s pretty evenly split,” Fleck says of Oregon and Oregon State fans in Central Oregon. “You’ll see one fan base more when their program’s on the rise. If you were to poll Central Oregon, you’d be pretty close to right down the middle.”

Phil Anderson, another board member for the Oregon Club of Central Oregon, says the emotions involved in the Civil War game can sometimes help decide the outcome.

“I’m always nervous about the Beavers,” Anderson says. “In a rivalry game, there’s so much emotion. One team can get up and play above their heads really well and another team can let it get to them and play subpar. It seems like anything can happen.”

— Reporter: 541-383-0318, mmorical@bendbulletin.com.