Oregon rules out Dante Moore for Nebraska, leaving the start to Raiola or Thomas

Oregon will play Nebraska on Saturday without starting quarterback Dante Moore. The Ducks listed him as out on Wednesday's Big Ten availability report, and USA TODAY Sports reported that a concussion is the reason. Moore also missed last week's game, so Oregon goes into a must-win home game against Nebraska with its quarterback job still open.

The two options are Dylan Raiola, who transferred from Nebraska last offseason, and Brock Thomas. Raiola filled in for Moore in the win at USC, but CBS Sports reported that he struggled badly against UCLA. He completed 6 of 19 passes for 43 yards with two interceptions and a lost fumble before being pulled in the second half. Thomas came in and threw for 149 yards and a touchdown. He brought the Ducks within a two-point conversion of tying the game, but the disputed try failed and Oregon lost 17-15.

Dan Lanning has said he won't reveal his plans before kickoff. He told reporters that "everything is being evaluated," according to CBS Sports. CBS also reported that the review goes beyond the quarterbacks: Lanning has opened competitions on the offensive line and at some defensive positions. USA TODAY Sports, citing the Register-Guard, noted that he has not committed to either quarterback. If Raiola starts, his first start against his former program will come with his own job at stake.

The stakes are high. Oregon started the season ranked No. 2, and the UCLA loss was its second of the year. It dropped the Ducks out of the AP poll entirely.

What it means for Saturday

The records point toward Nebraska. The Cornhuskers are 5-1. Their only loss was 20-17 to No. 7 Indiana last week, and before that they beat Maryland 48-23 and won 31-13 at Michigan State. Oregon is 3-2 and has been hard to read. Its wins include an 84-0 rout of Portland State and a 41-27 win at No. 12 USC. Its losses came 39-31 at Oklahoma State and against UCLA at home, where the offense went quiet for long stretches.

Even so, the board still has Oregon favored. On Novig, one of 12 venues tracked on this site's game page, the Ducks are -233 on the moneyline and -6.5 on the spread at -117. Nebraska is +223 on Novig to win outright. The best price anywhere is +226 at Polymarket, so the venues are only a few cents apart on the underdog. The spread varies more. theScore Bet has Nebraska at +7.5 for -120, and BetRivers has Oregon at -6 for -125. The total sits at 51.5 on Novig, and Hard Rock Bet has the under at 52.5. Sportsbook hold on the moneyline runs from 4.0% to 5.9%.

A margin of about a touchdown assumes Oregon's backup quarterback play is better than it was against UCLA. Thomas looked sharper in relief last week, and Raiola already has a road win over USC this season. Whoever starts will be on the field for an 11 p.m. ET kickoff at Autzen Stadium on Fox.