The College Football Playoff semifinal at the Peach Bowl was a clash between No. 5 Oregon and No. 1 Indiana. It was also a clash between the No. 1 and No. 2 picks of Yahoo Sports’ latest NFL mock draft.
In both cases, it’s pretty safe to say who came out on top.
Indiana reached the national title game with a 56-22 demolishing of the Ducks, taking a four-touchdown lead into halftime and coasting from there. Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the favorite to be the Las Vegas Raiders’ first overall pick in a few months, was 17-for-20 for 177 passing yards, 5 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.
And Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, the projected second pick? He was 24-for-39 with 285 passing yards, 2 touchdowns and 3 backbreaking turnovers. It’s safe to say the performance didn’t help the redshirt sophomore’s draft stock.
When asked about his draft decision after the game, Moore said he hadn’t made a decision yet.
“At the end of the day, I don’t know my decision yet.”
Dante Moore on his future ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/W1r22EaepO
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) January 10, 2026
Moore’s answer:
“I’m going to soak this moment up and, most importantly, give my hugs and thank yous to my teammates. But at the end of the day, I don’t know my decision yet. I’m going to talk to coach Lanning and talk to my family and everybody, but at the end of the day I don’t want to think about that right now.”
As of now, Moore still looms as a candidate to go second overall to the New York Jets, but his performance on Friday laid bare some concerns around his game.
After a rough freshman year at UCLA and a redshirt year under Dillon Gabriel last season, Moore had impressed all season with his arm strength, accuracy, athleticism and command of the Oregon offense. However, he was never pressured in the pocket like he was against Indiana, and the results were ugly.
and, well…
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) January 10, 2026
Oregon would surely welcome Moore back for a junior season and at only 20 years old, he still has plenty of time to get to the NFL. The decision is shaping up to be one of the biggest among all underclassmen in this year’s draft cycle.
As for Mendoza, you can probably guess where he’s going after a dream season in which he’s led Indiana to a 15-0 record while winning the Heisman Trophy.
