Oregon's Decision on Dante Moore for UCLA Game Opens Can of Worms

On Wednesday night, the No. 13 Oregon Ducks ruled out quarterback Dante Moore before Saturday's game against No. 21 UCLA. 

Moore suffered a concussion in the first half of the Ducks' 41-27 win over USC. He returned to practice on Monday, wearing a helmet and pads and throwing the football around. Still, it was unclear if Moore had passed the concussion protocol or would play the Bruins.

The Ducks made a pretty clear statement about how they plan to deal with the situation as Moore was ruled out early in the week on the Big Ten availability report. 

It's fairly easy for Oregon to make a cautious decision with Moore since they have Dylan Raiola on the roster. Raiola, a two-year starter at Nebraska, threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns in the Ducks' win over the Trojans.

With the benefit of a bye last week, Raiola had an extra week to prepare for UCLA. 

But Saturday's contest against UCLA opens up an opportunity for Raiola, and it's a can of worms being uncovered for Oregon. 

Moore didn't play his best football in Oregon's loss to Oklahoma State in Week 2. He wasn't the problem in the Ducks' seven-point win over Boise State in Week 1. 

With that being said, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning is going to have a hard decision to make if Raiola plays extremely well against the Bruins on Saturday.

Would Oregon decide to stay with the hot hand when Oregon hosts Nebraska on Oct. 17, giving Raiola a chance to have a revenge game against his former school?

One could argue that playing Raiola gives the one-loss Ducks their best chance to win and make the College Football Playoff and compete for the Big Ten championship.

While Lanning has to do what's best for his locker room, he has to be careful how he navigates the situation with Moore. Moore would have likely been a top-five pick in the 2026 NFL Draft had he not decided to play for Lanning this season.

Keeping Moore on the sidelines might jeopardize Lanning's relationships with quarterbacks in the future. Those players might feel Lanning is not loyal to them and might worry about their potential in the league.

At the same time, playing Raiola would show that Lanning is willing to play whoever gives Oregon the best chance to win, and that could be favorable for the right type of recruit.