Oregon, Ohio, to support Buckeyes
College football will rule Oregon, Ohio, on Jan. 12, so much so that the city will temporarily change its name.
Oregon, a suburb of Toledo in northwest Ohio, will make the temporary switch in support of Ohio State, city administrator Michael Beazley told the Toledo Free Press. The Buckeyes will face Oregon on Jan. 12 in the College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T.
Two city natives, Matt Squibb and Mark Rabbitt, put together a change.org petition calling for Oregon to change its name and for Oregon's Clay High School to change its school colors from green and gold -- the same as the Ducks -- for that day, according to the Free Press.
"I grew up in Oregon, Ohio and love the city, but for the day of the 'Big Game' I am asking the city council to make a proclamation to change the name of the city for one day," reads the petition. "Call it Buckeye Town, Ohio City, Brutusville, whatever, you get the point. Let's not leave anything to chance here! Change the name and support the Buckeyes!"
The temporary name has yet to be determined, Beazley told the Free Press. But he said he and mayor Michael Seferian plan to issue a proclamation Monday announcing the change for Jan. 12.
"We've heard about [the petition]. We've gotten calls. We're going to do something with it," Beazley told the newspaper.
Ohio State beat top-ranked Alabama 42-35 on Thursday night, setting up a championship date with No. 2-ranked Oregon. The Ducks beat previously undefeated Florida State 59-20 in the other semifinal game. The championship will take place in Arlington, Texas.
The petition, which was posted at 10 a.m. ET on Friday, has 1,000 supporters as of Jan. 3. Neither Squibb or Rabbitt, both Clay High graduates, are Ohio State fans but each said it was a unique chance to support the university.
"We're just two guys going on a website and sparking something that most people would think is probably a really stupid thing, but to have so many people supporting it and then hopefully rooting for Ohio State to win it all is pretty great," Rabbitt told the Free Press. "The Big Ten has been seen as a conference that can't compete with the SEC or Pac 12. Now Ohio State has beaten the No. 1 team in the SEC and are facing the No. 1 team in the Pac-12, and we have this opportunity for Ohio State to win the national championship. I think it's pretty good to see a community come together and support them."
