CORVALLIS, OR -- The Beavers and Ducks may not be in the same conference any more, but their football games will still tie up traffic in the mid-Willamette Valley and the Oregon Department of Transportation is warning drivers to be prepared.

ODOT's Mindy McCartt says even if you're not a college football fan, it's a good idea to have a general idea of the Oregon and Oregon State game schedule, "It can help you plan your travel on those weekends, especially when they both have home games on the same day."

That first day of dueling home games is this Saturday, when Oregon takes on Idaho and OSU faces Idaho State, just 50 miles apart, "That's going to mean there's an excessive amount of traffic, particularly in the Willamette Valley on Interstate 5, Highway 99, some of those secondary highways as well, 34 going into Corvallis." And football isn't the only factor this weekend, "You should know that it's a holiday weekend, so you're already going to get excessive traffic," says McCartt, "But also knowing that there's two home games in Corvallis and in Eugene, that's going to add to that congestion."

McCartt says any game day adds traffic, "On a regular home game, for either the University of Oregon or Oregon State, no matter if it's in the afternoon or in the evening, you can expect probably double to triple the amount of cars on Interstate 5 all day. If it's a day that both teams have a home game, you can only imagine the number of people that are going to be traveling on I-5." She adds, "If you're traveling on that Saturday, you're going to want to get on Tripcheck, you're going to want to plan ahead, you're going to want to leave early."

Because of the conference change, this year's Rivalry Game between Oregon and OSU is in Corvallis is September 14, before fall classes start at either school. That's much earlier than in recent memory, and McCartt says it could catch drivers off guard. She expects the 14th will be another exceptionally heavy traffic day on I-5, "And then November ninth is the other Saturday that they both have home games."

If you're going to a game, or just passing through the area on those days, McCartt suggests drivers consider alternate transportation like Amtrak or the bus, or carpool.