1/3/2015 9:01 PM
Oregon, Ohio, will have a different name on Monday, Jan. 12.
Ohio State plays Oregon in the national title game that day, and in support of the Buckeyes, the city will temporarily change its name.
The name-change movement for the Toledo suburb was started via a petition, naturally, on Change.org. And it gained enough steam that, according to the Toledo Free Press, the city will announce what the new name will be on Monday, Jan. 5.
"We've heard about [the petition]. We've gotten calls. We're going to do something with it," Oregon City Administrator Michael Beazley told the paper.
From the petition entry started by Oregon (Ohio) native Matt Squbb, which currently has more than 600 signatures:
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. 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!
Oregon Clay High School is also being asked to temporarily change its school colors. Because, of course, they are green and gold.
Neither Squibb nor Mark Rabbitt, who he started the petition with, are Ohio State fans. But they are going for state and conference solidarity.
"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."
Maybe they could call it Virginia Tech, Ohio. Just for the day.