The Oregon Ducks have spent much of the season as legitimate championship contenders. A loss to Indiana is the only blemish on their record, and a blowout win over James Madison in the College Football Playoff has set the scene for the Orange Bowl.
If Oregon is going to compete for a championship, it will have to take down the toughest defense on its schedule. The Texas Tech Red Raiders are the No. 4 team in the country and a 2.5-point underdog against the Ducks' star-studded roster.
Headlined by the best defensive line in college football, Texas Tech has the talent to throw Oregon out of the dance and change the landscape of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Dante Moore's stock hangs in the balance
As a one-year starter for Oregon, quarterback Dante Moore has eligibility remaining and multiple reasons to stay in school.
The Ducks will be among the championship favorites in 2026. Moore doesn't need to start the rookie-contract clock and opt to develop at a school that is printing out NFL quarterbacks. He can rake in NIL money and possibly win the Heisman in the process.
For now, though, Moore's stock remains in the top 10, and he's the favorite to be the second quarterback off the board, behind Indiana's Fernando Mendoza. Moore is still undecided on his NFL future, and Texas Tech could be an inflection point. Play well, and the No. 1 pick is still in the cards. Struggle, and Oregon becomes a comfortable option to rebuild his stock.
The Red Raiders have plenty to throw at the Oregon offense. Heisman finalist Jacob Rodriguez has stolen the headlines, but this defensive line is the engine of the Texas Tech defense.
That starts with edge rusher David Bailey. A prized transfer from Stanford, Bailey was a rotational pass rusher who had mastered sack artistry but left a lot wanting as a run defender. In 2025, he's developed into a well-rounded wrecking ball, playing the run significantly better -- even at 250 pounds.
Bailey is the best player on this team and a potential top-15 pick. Logging 17.5 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks, he led the conference in both marks. He isn't alone on the edge, either. Romello Height has played himself into the Round 1 conversation, too, off the back of a nine-sack season.
Height offers a similar frame to Bailey. While he's not quite as polished as a pass rusher, Height is more than capable of wrecking a playoff game if given the opportunity.
MORE: Ranking the 10 best defensive tackles in the 2026 NFL Draft
Up the middle, Texas Tech is similarly stout. Lee Hunter is a nose tackle whose movement skills far exceed his 330-pound frame. His track record of pass-rushing wins is exciting, even though his alignment will inherently limit sack totals. Hunter is another top-100 prospect, and his ability to contain Oregon's run game and push the pocket could put Moore behind the eight ball -- and into the path of these incredible edge rushers.
Fortunately for Moore, Skyler Gill-Howard, a pass-rushing specialist on the interior, won't be playing in the Orange Bowl. Even so, the stage is set for the biggest game of his college career, and the challenge is about as adversarial as a stacked Oregon team could see in the quarterfinals.
Moore is an unfinished product who has real questions to answer intangibly. His best film comes from boundary shots, and he's flashed an enticing ability to make plays on the move. But with Oregon's talented front, he hasn't had to do a ton of work from the pocket under pressure.
How he manages that pressure (and how the Ducks draw up answers to it) could decide Thursday's game and answer important questions about the 2026 quarterback class. It's the biggest game of Moore's career, and he'll have to be up to the task to up the ante later in the College Football Playoff.
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