Oregon quarterback Dante Moore was ruled out for the remainder of the 2026 season on Monday night. That means Ohio State will be facing either Dylan Raiola or Brock Thomas when the Ducks visit the "Shoe" on November 7.
“Really got clarity for us this past week, for him,” Dan Lanning said on Monday night. “And I think if it were up to Dante in any shape, way, he would want to be out there playing for guys. But, unfortunately, it’s not really up to Dante. It’s not really up to me. We can control the setting and practice where he’s able to do things for us, but that’s not always the case in the game.”
Moore suffered a concussion during a 41-27 Oregon victory over USC. Raiola has been the primary starting quarterback in Moore's absence but was benched for Thomas against Nebraska. Raiola took back over in the fourth quarter and beat his former team at Autzen Stadium.
The Buckeyes won't be seeing Moore, nor will Ohio State be facing offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer. Lanning and the Ducks' brain trust fired Mehringer following a third loss this season to Illinois this past weekend.
2026 has been a disastrous year for Oregon from the jump. The Ducks lost in Week 1 to Oklahoma State, lost Moore in late September, and have since been defeated by UCLA and the Fighting Illini. Northwestern may well make it worse on Halloween.
Oregon's futility has made things a little easier for Ohio State, given the Buckeyes' own disasters this fall.
Oregon is now a breather for Ohio State instead of a sweat
The Ducks aren't the only preseason Big Ten darling to have lost its starting quarterback. Ohio State will be without its starter heading into the year in Week 10: Julian Sayin. The Buckeyes could also be without their QB1 for the remainder of the season.
Still, even with Luke Fahey taking over, Ohio State is nearly a touchdown favorite at the spread as things stand.
Of course, things could change if Fahey struggles against the Trojans in Southern California this Saturday. Perhaps Jay Johnson has a strong effect on how Raiola or Thomas looks when operating the offense.
There remain few signs that the surging Buckeyes' defense could have trouble with Raiola or Thomas.
If everything progresses as it's expected to, and Fahey figures out how to run the offense, Ohio State should have no problem with an overmatched opponent. While Oregon was once the last leg of an impossible stretch, the Ducks and USC have made this stretch more manageable.
Can the Buckeyes finish the job in the postseason when teams like Miami and Georgia are standing in the way of glory? It all depends on Fahey.
Oregon is at least nowhere near the same obstacle to even making the CFP that it once was. The road got a bit easier for Ohio State, though college football being robbed of one of the great offensive maestros for most of the season is extremely sad news.
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