At Least The Ducks Have the First Half of The 2027 QB Question Answered

The last month has been a disaster for the Oregon Ducks, no matter how you slice it. They have two horrific losses to their name in the last four weeks of the season, and the outcome of their year is all but decided.

The postseason conversation is over after today's loss. They were holding out a little bit of hope that if they won on Saturday, they would have a chance to get Dante Moore back under center, and if they took down Ohio State and Northwestern, they would still have College Football Playoff hopes alive.

Instead, they went out with a whimper against Illinois in what was a ridiculously bad performance, again for the Ducks.

The one silver lining in the entire season debacle is that they at least know Dylann Raiola is not the quarterback for next year. 

With Dante Moore going out against USC, Raiola had an opportunity for a dress rehearsal and to prove what he had in the tank for Dan Lanning and the future of the Ducks. That is all out the window now.

Raiola had an awesome first performance against USC that led the Ducks to the win, but since then, he has been dreadful.

His stats actually aren't horrible. He is completing 64 percent of his throws for 515 yards, 6 touchdowns, and just two interceptions. The numbers are not good, but they are not bad.

However, the performances have just been bad. Add today's to the list. 

There are too many examples on the tape of his eyes being in the wrong spot, taking bad sacks, inaccurate throws, big-time mistakes, and just mistakes that play in and play out. From a big-picture perspective, that is not the player that Dan Lanning can succeed with at the quarterback position.

There is another conversation to be had about the play caller and the impact of losing Will Stein. That's a song for another time.

For now, Lanning and the Ducks know that next year's quarterback is likely not on the team. Dante Moore will certainly be gone to the draft, and neither Brock Thomas nor Dylan Raiola has proven that they have what it takes to be the quarterback for the Ducks next year.

It is going to be a really tough end of the season for Oregon. They have to stay in the fight and in the competition for the rest of the way, but that doesn't make it easy.

If there was ever an incentive to play hard, it is for Raiola to change my mind, and the minds of his teammates, about what he can bring to the quaterback position. He needs to play well, or the Ducks are going to be shopping for a quarterback in 2027.