Rumors around a possible Dylan Raiola reunion with Nebraska are starting to pick up, and the timeline could come a lot sooner than anyone expected.
When Raiola left Nebraska for Oregon, the assumption was that Huskers fans would not see him across the field until 2027 at the earliest, once Oregon quarterback Dante Moore moved on to the NFL. But that picture has started to shift, at least in the world of speculation. If Moore loses his grip on the starting job, Nebraska could end up facing Raiola this season.
Famed radio host Chuck Oliver raised that possibility while talking through how he thinks Oregon’s season might unfold.
“I picked Oregon as my No. 1 team this season,” Oliver said, opening his diatribe. “The very real scenario … I’m not saying they could have a season that leads them to a December 27 Bowl game in a baseball stadium because that’s what happened to Clemson and Penn State.”
“Not saying that, not saying just that,” Oliver continued. “There’s a very weird scenario to me that is suddenly very real, and I mean I would have never whispered it three weeks ago.”
Oliver also noted that Moore would have been a very high draft pick had he entered the NFL Draft last winter. Then he floated the idea that has Nebraska and Oregon fans paying close attention.
“He could get benched this season as a college quarterback. I don’t know that he will, and I’m not predicting it … but he could get benched this season.”
That possibility has its roots in the timing of Raiola’s move. Oliver said some people felt Raiola should have waited to see whether Moore would stay in Eugene or head to the NFL before transferring. Moore announced he was coming back for one more season just days after Raiola made his move.
After that, there were whispers that Raiola might look for another transfer landing spot if he wanted a clearer path to playing time this season. Those talks never gained much traction, and Raiola ultimately said he was fine spending a year at Oregon and learning under Moore.
The on-field results have kept the conversation alive. Moore has not been nearly as sharp so far this season as he was a year ago. Oregon opened with an offense that struggled in a win over Boise State, then looked rough again in the first half of its loss to Oklahoma State.
After that game, reports surfaced that Moore had been tipping plays by the way he lined up in the backfield, and new Oklahoma State coach Eric Morris pointed to that as part of what helped his defense in the 39-31 upset.
Moore bounced back in Oregon’s third game, an 84-0 win over Portland State. Raiola also had a strong outing, completing all 11 of his pass attempts for 124 yards and 3 touchdowns.
“There’s a scenario,” Oliver said. “Just park it in the back of your mind that in Week 8 or Week 9, Dante Moore’s not injured, or he’s “injured,” and somebody else -whoever it is - that’s a real thing.”
How likely that is remains unclear. Moore getting benched is still a long shot, and having that happen before Nebraska would be even more of a stretch. But if his struggles continue against USC and UCLA, the buzz around Raiola facing his old team sooner than expected is only going to grow.
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