Vernon Adams Jr
Vernon Adams Jr. threw for 407 yards and six scores in last week's 48-28 win over USC. Getty

This year’s Civil War game between No. 18 Oregon (8-3, 6-2) and Oregon State (2-9, 0-8) will be the meeting of two schools whose seasons have trended in completely opposite directions. When the Beavers walk into Autzen Stadium in Eugene on Friday, they’ll do so on an eight-game losing streak while the Ducks come in having won five straight.

Oregon’s hopes of winning the Pac-12 North were dashed with No. 13 Stanford’s win over California on Saturday. Despite that, the Ducks have jumped back into the top 20 after a 48-28 win over USC and could end up in a decent bowl game, maybe even one of the New Year’s Six if things break favorably.

They’ve experienced a reversal of fortune and haven’t lost any of their five games since quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. returned from a finger injury. Over the course of the win streak, Adams has thrown for 18 touchdowns and 1,499 yards. Against USC, he completed 20 of 25 passes for 407 yards and six scores to six different receivers.

"Honestly, I was trying to get everyone," Adams said of his ball distribution.

The Ducks have the nation's No. 5 rushing offense (289.5 yards per game) led by Royce Freeman, who is second in the conference in rush yards (1,539) and tied for first in rushing touchdowns (12). Freeman scampered for 147 yards against USC, his seventh consecutive game eclipsing 100. Oregon State ranks No. 115 among FBS teams in rush yards, allowing 218 per game. In a 52-7 loss to Washington last week, the Beavers were gashed for 271 yards and two scores on the ground.

Oregon State has lost three straight games by at least 30 and has been outscored 106-31 in their last two. They rank last in the Pac-12 in yards (328.6) and points (16.9) per game and have experienced quarterback issues, now going with a platoon of Nick Mitchell and Marcus McMaryion. The two have split time over the last three weeks and have combined to complete 33 of 83 passes (39.8 percent) for 434 yards.

It’s possible that former starting quarterback Seth Collins could return from injury, not under center but as a wide receiver. Collins hasn’t played the last four games due to a hyperextended knee but still leads Oregon State in rushing (536 yards, five touchdowns).

Oregon ranks last in the Pac-12 in pass defense (310.5 yards allowed) but held USC quarterback Cody Kessler to 238 passing yards last week. The Ducks do rank No. 2 in the Pac-12 in sacks (33) while the Beavers have allowed the second-most (17) in the conference.

Betting Line: Oregon by 36 points

Over/Under: 70 points

Prediction: Oregon State hasn’t played a close game in the month of November and this won’t be any different. Oregon is at home, on a roll and has way too much firepower for the Beavers to handle.

Predicted Score: Oregon over Oregon State, 52-10

Start Time: 4:00 p.m. ET

TV Channel: Fox Sports 1