Oregon came into the season as one of the favorites to win the National Championship, and the driving force behind those expectations more than Dan Lanning or any other player was Dante Moore. When Moore jumped on SportsCenter and announced his intentions to pass up the 2026 NFL Draft for one more season at Oregon, the sky seemed to be the limit, and the Ducks appeared to have a great chance at making a deep College Football Playoff run.
Flash forward to the end of October, and the Ducks are 4-3, and all those high hopes have gone out the window with Oregon falling apart before the toughest stretch of the season. While losses to UCLA and Illinois will be the reason the Ducks miss the Playoffs, the season seemingly ended in the 1st half of the USC game.
Dante Moore scrambling and suffering a concussion against USC truly derailed the Ducks season, even if flaws like Drew Mehringer's struggles and a poor offensive line would've eventually sunk the team. After weeks of wondering if Moore would be back this season or next year, Oregon fans finally have an answer.
Dan Lanning annouces Dante Moore will likely miss remainder of season
On Monday, Oregon fans found out the sad fate of the season as Dan Lanning revealed that Dante Moore will likely miss the remainder of the season during his weekly press conference.
NEWS: Oregon coach Dan Lanning announces that star quarterback Dante Moore is not expected to play the rest of the season. He hasn’t played since suffering a concussion against USC on Sept. 26. Moore returned to Oregon for 2026 after projecting as a top pick in the NFL Draft. pic.twitter.com/BcpO6Jrd0M
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 27, 2026
"I'm not anticipating [Dante Moore] being back this season, no."Dan Lanning
The news is the official end to what started as such a promising season as without Dante Moore it seems impossible that the Ducks will run the table to even land in College Football Playoff contention. While everyone can point at the other bad flaws with the roster, the truth is without Moore the Ducks' were never going to go far, and that's what makes everything so disappointing.
Dante Moore took the ultimate risk passing up the NFL for another chance at bringing a National Championship to Eugene, and it was taken out of his hands and the teams hands. Oregon won't miss out on their gaols because Moore regressed or because another team exposed the Ducks like we've seen in the Playoff, instead the season ended with a dirty hit from USC linebacker Desman Stephens II.
When you have a quarterback as special as Dante Moore, it can mask a ton of weaknesses, and without him teams have limited the offense from making explosive plays. Drew Mehringer wasn't good enough as an offensive coordinator, but everything could've worked out if he was calling plays for a Top 10 pick in the NFL Draft rather than Dylan Raiola and Brock Thomas.
The rest of the way, new play caller Jay Johnson is going to have to find a way to score points at a high level without Moore. The Ducks still have 5 games left to play, and now, without the hope of Moore coming back, the scheme is going to have to do some heavy lifting, and Johnson will be responsible for making life easier for whoever's under center.
Just like he did at the end of last season, Dante Moore is going to have another massive decision to make about his own future. Moore can attempt to enter the NFL Draft this offseason, where he could be a 1st round pick, but it's also unclear how teams will view him with the injury. The new 5-for-5 eligibility rule also gives Moore the option of returning next season, which could become interesting.
Oregon fans will now wait for a potential announcement from Dante Moore to learn what his next steps will be as Dan Lanning revealed the two haven't had the conversation about his future yet.
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