Oregon's College Football Playoff hopes get extinguished with 21-10 loss at Illinois

Oregon’s 2026 season is quickly becoming a disaster.

Any hope of the Ducks sneaking into the College Football Playoff with a streak of late-season wins likely disappeared with a 21-10 loss to an Illinois team that was missing starting quarterback Katin Houser.

Freshman Michael Clayton II started in Houser’s place and found Collin Dixon for the game-sealing touchdown with less than three minutes to go.

It was a fantastic juggling catch by Dixon, who got control of the ball before he hit the ground. Oregon (4-3) played its third straight game without starting quarterback Dante Moore after his concussion against USC. The Ducks were also missing four of their top five wide receivers due to injury.

But this is also an Oregon team that was built for a national title run and should have the depth to win a game on the road like this. Former five-star recruit Dylan Raiola transferred from Nebraska and entered the season as Moore’s backup after two years as the Huskers’ starter.

He played so poorly in the Ducks’ loss to UCLA that he didn’t start in Week 7 against Nebraska, though he entered the game for Brock Thomas in the second half and led Oregon on its game-winning drive.

Saturday, Oregon’s downfield passing attack was nonexistent until it was desperation time. That was against an Illinois defense that was so bad to start the season that it parted ways with first-year coordinator (and former Montana head coach) Bobby Hauck just four games into the season.

Raiola finished the game 27-of-41 passing for 246 yards. That yardage total was padded by a 36-yard desperation completion as time expired.

Where does Oregon go from here?

Entering Week 8, there was a reason to think Oregon could make a playoff push. Moore’s return to the field appeared closer and closer, and the schedule looked far more appealing than it once did thanks to Ohio State QB Julian Sayin’s injury.

A win in Columbus on Nov. 7 could have been a springboard to another Big Ten title game appearance with the uncertainty across the conference and the down years by schools like Michigan and Penn State, among others.

After all, this was a roster that not only returned Moore, but brought back a lot of talent along the defensive line and added Minnesota safety Koi Perich to the secondary. The running back room was deep, and Jamari Johnson was primed for a bigger role following Kenyon Sadiq’s departre.

Instead, Oregon looks like a team that could drop below .500 with No. 24 Northwestern coming to Eugene ahead of that trip to Ohio State.

No matter if Moore is back or not, there’s a lot to figure out for Oregon coach Dan Lanning. The Ducks were beaten with Moore on the field in Week 2 at Oklahoma State. That was a game where the stances of Oregon’s offensive linemen appeared to reveal what type of play the Ducks would run.

Outside of that Week 4 win at USC, it’s been a sloppy, sloppy season. And one that’s likely to end with an appearance in a game like the Holiday Bowl instead of with the national title on the line.