To say that this season hasn't gone according to plan for the Oregon Ducks would be an understatement. What began with legitimate national title hopes has already seen one harrowing quarterback injury and a 3-2 start through five games, including an ugly 17-15 defeat at home to UCLA last Saturday.
There's officially zero margin for error remaining if this team wants a serious chance to make the College Football Playoff. And that means there's zero room for Dylan Raiola, who was downright brutal in the loss to the Bruins before getting benched for third-stringer Brock Thomas.
If Dan Lanning were taking the long view here, he might opt to stick with Raiola, who filled in well for Dante Moore in the win over USC and certainly has more upside moving forward. But the long view is officially out the window, so it should be no surprise that Lanning instead has tapped Thomas to start against Nebraska in Week 7.
NEW: Oregon is set to start QB Brock Thomas over Dylan Raiola against Nebraska, @PeteNakos reports.https://t.co/2adWbD1dje pic.twitter.com/r7qQB4mkrk
— On3 (@On3) October 17, 2026
Dylan Raiola's benching puts Oregon's Playoff pressure on full display
In the game against UCLA, Raiola struggled immensely. He was 6-of-19 for 43 passing yards with zero touchdowns, two interceptions and a fumble. That was a stark difference compared to what he did the week prior, when he came in as relief against USC and went 19-of-25 for 289 yards and two passing touchdowns.
When Thomas entered the game, Oregon was down 17-6, but he helped give the Ducks offense some needed life, going 11-of-15 for 156 yards and a touchdown. Although Oregon ultimately lost, the offense looked much better under Thomas. Play-calling has a role in that, as they got the ball out of Thomas' hands quicker, yet the results were clear.
Leading up to the game against the Cornhuskers, Thomas took the bulk of the first-team reps. With Moore expected to return in the near future, Oregon clearly felt that Thomas gave them the best chance to hold down the fort until then.
With losses to Oklahoma State and UCLA already, the Ducks can't afford to drop another game if they want to make a serious push for the College Football Playoff. For the first time in four years, the Ducks enter a week unranked, which shows how they are viewed around the nation.
They have work to do, and they understand that. The last time Oregon lost back-to-back games at home was in 2016; ironically enough, the second loss came to Nebraska. That can't happen again, and with Raiola's confidence taking a hit after last week's showing, Lanning believes that Thomas gives this team the best chance to win.
That couldn't be an easy decision, as Raiola was a big-ticket transfer for the Ducks. He was a five-star recruit coming out of high school and was one of the most coveted players in the country. Raiola played two seasons at Nebraska, but things never fully developed the way that everyone imagined.
When he came over to Eugene, the thought was that he would be one of the top QB2's in the nation behind Moore before assuming the starting role once the latter declared for the NFL Draft. But things change quickly in college football; he will be the backup once again, but this time, it'll be to Thomas and not Moore.
While that's certainly a gut punch for Raiola, the Ducks aren't in the position to play with fire. They need to go on a serious winning streak if they want any sort of chance to contend for a Playoff spot. There's no more wiggle room to slip up, and this move at quarterback puts that in the limelight.
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