Less than two months ago, Oregon was considered a favorite to win the national championship. It put together one of the most expensive rosters in the country, and Dante Moore turned down the possibility of being a top-10 NFL Draft pick to return for one more College Football Playoff run.

Following a 17-15 loss to No. 21 UCLA, the Ducks have a good case as the most disappointing team in the country, and their margin for error is gone.

After Oregon overcame the loss of Moore to beat USC on the road in Week 4, it seemed like the Ducks were on the path back to contention. They got an open date to prepare backup quarterback Dylan Raiola before hosting the Bruins and were comfortable favorites in Autzen Stadium.

Then the game started, and what ensued was a disaster of epic proportions for Oregon.

Raiola was 6-of-19 with 43 yards and two interceptions before getting benched in the second half. On the ground, Oregon averaged just 2.7 yards per carry. It converted one of 12 third-down attempts. The Ducks turned the ball over seven times.

Despite all that, Oregon had a chance to tie the game on a two-point conversion with just over two minutes remaining. After a facemask penalty against UCLA, the Ducks needed one yard. Their vaunted offensive line got knocked back, and Jordon Davison got stuffed for no gain.

The circumstances weren't ideal for Oregon with Moore out, but it had the best backup quarterback in the nation, at least on paper. Besides, the Bruins didn't even play the full game with their starting quarterback because Nico Iamaleava exited the contest with an injury of his own and was replaced by Ty Dieffenbach.

With two losses and three weeks until Halloween, the Ducks and their $40 million roster are officially out of mulligans despite boasting one of the most expensive rosters in college football. If they want any chance at reaching the College Football Playoff, they'll have to go undefeated the rest of the way, and they have a date with Ohio State in Columbus on Nov. 7.

Then again, no game is a layup based on how disappointing Oregon has been through the first six weeks of the season.

Raiola's implosion

After Raiola took over for the injured Moore against USC, it looked as though his decision to accept a backup role in Eugene would benefit both parties greatly.

Raiola completed 75% of his passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns in just over two quarters of work. With an open date to prepare for UCLA, Oregon had to feel good about its quarterback situation, even with Moore unavailable due to a concussion.

Instead, some of the same issues that plagued Raiola at Nebraska popped up against the Bruins. Raiola was careless with the ball and tried to do too much on several plays. The result was two interceptions and a fumble while Raiola completed less than 33% of his attempts.

How did an experienced quarterback like Raiola look so unprepared at home? That's a question Dan Lanning will have to answer in the wake of this devastating loss.

At least there will be no more rumblings of a quarterback controversy when Moore returns, which the Ducks hope is next week. If Moore misses a second straight game next week, will Lanning put his team's fate in the hands of Brock Thomas, a senior and former three-star recruit?

Is the season salvageable?

No one saw Oregon sitting at 3-2 on Oct. 10. There was too much talent on the roster for anyone to forecast losses to Oklahoma State and UCLA prior to Week 1.

If the Ducks are going to accomplish their goal of reaching the College Football Playoff, they need to go 7-0 the rest of the season. That's a tall task for a team that has yet to show any kind of consistency in 2026, but the good news is that the upcoming schedule is manageable.

Oregon gets Nebraska next week, and the Cornhuskers are coming off a soul-crushing loss of their own. After that, Oregon gets Northwestern and Illinois, which should be wins even if the team isn't at its best.

Oregon's remaining schedule

Oct. 17: vs. Nebraska
Oct. 24: at Illinois
Oct. 31: vs. Northwestern
Nov. 7: at Ohio State
Nov. 14: vs. Michigan
Nov. 20: Michigan State
Nov. 28: vs. Washington

If Moore comes back healthy and looks like himself, Oregon has enough firepower to overwhelm most of the opponents remaining on its schedule. Michigan hasn't been able to move the football on offense, and Washington is 3-3 after getting hammered by Iowa.

That means the season likely comes down to the road game against Ohio State on Nov. 7. Thus far, the Ducks have shown nothing to indicate they're capable of beating the Buckeyes on the road, but the talent is on the roster, at least in theory.

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