Oregon will play Nebraska on Saturday without Dante Moore. The Ducks listed their starting quarterback as out on Wednesday's Big Ten injury report, ESPN reported. It will be the second straight game he has missed since taking a hit to the head against USC on Sept. 26.

HEAVY reported that Moore was hurt in the first half of that game in Los Angeles and has not played since. Oregon had a bye the following week, and he sat out the loss to UCLA. With some expectation that he could return this week now gone, the next date to watch is the Oct. 24 game against Illinois. On3 reported that hospital tests confirmed a concussion with no further complications.

Without Moore, Oregon is choosing between two backups. CBS Sports reported that Dylan Raiola and Brock Thomas are competing for the start. That adds a storyline for the visitors, because Raiola spent his first two college seasons at Nebraska. He had two decent outings after taking over, but Roundtable Sports noted that he went 6 of 19 for 43 yards with two interceptions against UCLA before he was benched. Thomas, a third-stringer, came in for the fourth quarter, threw a touchdown pass and almost brought the Ducks all the way back. Roundtable also pointed to the targets the starter will have to work with: tight end Jamari Johnson and receivers Dakorien Moore and Evan Stewart. Stewart has 27 catches for 352 yards and four touchdowns this season. 247Sports listed Stewart as questionable on the same report, so that group may also be short a player.

What it means Saturday

The two teams arrive in different places. Oregon is 3-2, and both losses were close: 39-31 at Oklahoma State and 17-15 at home to UCLA. The Ducks also have a 41-27 win at USC and an 84-0 rout of Portland State. Roundtable described Saturday as a must-win game if the Ducks want to stay in the playoff race. Nebraska is 5-1. Its only loss came last week, 20-17 to No. 7 Indiana. Before that the Huskers won five straight, including 31-13 at Michigan State and 48-23 over Maryland.

Even without Moore, the market has Oregon as the clear favorite. On this site's board for the game, which tracks 12 venues, Novig lists the Ducks favored by 6.5 at -120 and at -245 on the moneyline. Nebraska is +108 at +6.5 on Novig. The best number for the Huskers anywhere is +7.5 at -120 on theScore Bet. Oregon's best spread price is -6 at -125 on BetRivers. On the moneyline, Novig has Nebraska at +223, and Polymarket is slightly higher at +226. The total is 51.5 on Novig, -108 to the over and +102 to the under, while Hard Rock Bet lists 52.5 with the under at -110. The point spreads run from 6 to 7.5 across venues, and sportsbook hold ranges from 3.4% to 6.6% on the spread. That spread of numbers shows the market is still unsure how much Oregon loses without its top quarterback.

The game kicks off Saturday in Eugene on Fox. Nebraska will be preparing for two possible quarterbacks, one of whom it knows well.