Oregon (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) entered the 2026 season with arguably one of the most enviable quarterback rooms in the nation.

Riding quarterback Dante Moore’s Heisman Trophy potential and Nebraska transfer Dylan Raiola, the Ducks’ duo earned the No. 6 slot on ESPN’s spring ranking of the best quarterback situations among Power 4 teams.

Four games into the season, the tandem of Moore and Raiola has plummeted to No. 21 on the network’s updated list.

That’s despite some gaudy stats, including 1,339 combined passing yards, 14 touchdowns and zero interceptions. Those numbers, however, might not tell the entire story.

Ducks Fall From No. 6 to No. 21

The 15-spot slide in the rankings is particularly head-scratching when you zoom in on the stats.

If Moore and Raiola were one player, their 1,339 yards would rank No. 4 nationally, while their 14 touchdowns would tie them for first in the FBS. 

Comparatively speaking, those 14 scoring strikes would tie them with quarterbacks Darian Mensah of Miami (No. 1 on the list), Kamario Taylor of Mississippi State (No. 5) and Jayden Maiava of USC (No. 6).

An even deeper dive into Moore’s numbers could explain his drop. Moore ranks No. 28 among Power 4 quarterbacks in Total QBR and No. 52 in passing success rate.

His performance in Oregon’s 39-31 loss to then-unranked Oklahoma State highlighted some efficiency concerns as Moore completed just 14 of 29 passes for 191 yards. 

Oregon’s National Ranking

Moore and Raiola find themselves in intriguing company at No. 21.

Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita draws the nearest comparison at No. 23. The Wildcat has completed 75.6 percent of his passes for 1,131 yards, 11 touchdowns and two picks.

Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover is three slots ahead of Moore and Raiola at No. 18, despite a 70 percent completion rate for 851 yards, 11 touchdowns and no interceptions.

One place behind Hoover at No. 19 is LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt, who owns five touchdown passes and six interceptions, providing another example of how the rankings extend beyond traditional passing stats.

No one took as far a tumble as Texas quarterback Arch Manning.

Manning began the year ahead of Moore at No. 4, but the Longhorns signal-caller now sits at No. 29 with a 67.6 Total QBR, No. 62 sack rate and a No. 55 ranking in yards per dropback.

And while Oregon fell 15 spots, Moore and Raiola still placed eight spots ahead of one of college football’s most recognizable quarterbacks.

Sitting right behind the Ducks at No. 22 is Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea, the man who took over under center for the Cornhuskers after Raiola’s transfer to Oregon.

Raiola throws curveball into rankings

The Ducks quarterback room begins to feel a bit undervalued when you dissect Raiola’s performance since stepping in for the injured Moore.

His sample size is small, but it’s been remarkably efficient with 30-of-36 passing (83.3 percent), 413 yards, five touchdowns and zero picks in essentially four quarters of play.

Raiola’s highlight moment came against then-No. 12 USC when he led the Ducks on a nine-play, 75-yard scoring drive to break a 27-27 tie in the fourth quarter.

Moore is the starter when healthy. His timeframe to return is still undetermined as he recovers from a concussion, leaving the Ducks in what appears to be the capable hands of Raiola.

What it will take to climb

There isn’t a particular metric or ceiling a quarterback needs to reach in order to climb the list.

Moore’s 69.7 completion rate, nine touchdowns and no interceptions are strong. But the junior needs to establish more consistency from drive to drive and improve on his No. 28 Total QBR and No. 52 passing-success rating.

Raiola needs to maintain his ridiculously efficient Oregon debut with an 83.3 percent completion rate, five touchdowns and no interceptions.

For his career, Raiola has now thrown for 5,232 yards and 36 touchdowns between the Ducks and Cornhuskers, just 918 yards and 14 touchdowns shy of Moore’s career totals of 6,150 yards and 50 scoring strikes.

If the quarterbacks ahead of Oregon on the list are an example, then Moore and Raiola have plenty of opportunities to take off with a strong October and beyond.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.