Oregon rules out Dante Moore vs. Nebraska as Raiola, Thomas compete for the start

Oregon will host Nebraska on Saturday without Dante Moore. The Big Ten availability report lists the senior quarterback as out for a second straight week, and the Ducks have not said who will start in his place. ClutchPoints reported the news, citing On3's Pete Nakos, and ESPN also reported that Moore will miss the game.

Moore suffered a concussion in Oregon's 41-27 win at USC. Earlier in the week, coach Dan Lanning said he would let the availability report reveal Moore's status, and Wednesday's report did that. According to Nakos, Dylan Raiola, Brock Thomas and Akili Smith Jr. have all been taking practice reps. "No QB decision yet for the Ducks," Nakos wrote on X.

Raiola is the obvious storyline. He started at Nebraska before transferring, and he could now line up against the Cornhuskers. His case for the job is mixed. After Moore went down at the Coliseum, Raiola completed 19 of 25 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Last week against No. 21 UCLA he went 6 of 19 for 43 yards with two interceptions before Oregon pulled him. Thomas came on and went 11 of 15 for 156 yards and a touchdown in the 17-15 loss. ClutchPoints argued that relief outing gives Thomas a real claim to the start.

What it means for Saturday

The two teams arrive in different places. Oregon is 3-2, and both of its losses came on the road or at home in one-score games: 39-31 at Oklahoma State and 17-15 to UCLA. Before the UCLA game, Oregon had scored at least 34 points in every win, including the 84-0 rout of Portland State. Against UCLA, the offense managed just 15 points, and the Ducks did not have a settled passer.

Nebraska is 5-1. The Cornhuskers had won five straight before last week's 20-17 home loss to No. 7 Indiana. Their offense has been steady, with at least 31 points in each of the five wins, including 48 against Maryland and 31 at Michigan State. This is their first road trip since East Lansing.

The market still has Oregon as the favorite despite the quarterback question. On this site's board, which tracks 11 venues, Novig has the Ducks favored by 6.5 at -117 and Nebraska +6.5 at +108. Novig's moneyline is Oregon -245 and Nebraska +228. The spread differs by a full point depending on the venue. BetRivers has Oregon -6 at -125, and theScore Bet has Nebraska +7.5 at -120, the best Cornhuskers number listed. The total sits at 51.5 on Novig, with the over at -106 and the under at +102. Hard Rock Bet has 52.5, with the under at -110. Sportsbook hold on the spread ranges from 4.0% to 6.7%.

That one-point spread gap reflects the uncertainty. It is still not clear whether Raiola or Thomas will be throwing against a Nebraska defense that has allowed more than 23 points only once this season, in the Indiana loss.