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Raiola notes differences in 'talent,' 'landscape' between Oregon, Nebraska
Oregon quarterback Dylan Raiola. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Dylan Raiola notes differences in 'talent,' 'landscape' between Oregon, Nebraska

Dylan Raiola was billed as the "savior" of the Nebraska Cornhuskers when he enrolled in Lincoln as a five-star quarterback.

He never asked for that, to be fair, but he was the No. 2 overall quarterback in the 2024 class, according to 247Sports.

The Huskers finally thought they had "their guy," but things never worked out that way for Raiola. He certainly had some high moments, but overall, things never panned out with the Huskers.

In two seasons, he threw for 4,819 yards and 31 touchdowns with 17 interceptions. Raiola went 13-9 as a starter.

He then transferred to the Oregon Ducks this past offseason to be the backup and heir apparent to Dante Moore

The former five-star was recently asked what it has been like to transition from Lincoln, Nebraska, to Eugene, Oregon. He decided to first talk about topography, but he also took what seemed to be a shot at the Cornhuskers and the program that head coach Matt Rhule is building.

“It’s definitely been a transition. I’ll start with the landscape outside — there’s not cornfields here,” Raiola said on Tuesday. “There’s mountains and trees and I love nature. As far as football, it’s different. With coaches and players, we have a lot more talent than we did at Nebraska."

He said it wasn't a shot, of course, but it's hard to see it any other way.

“I don’t say that to knock on them, but I think everybody will know that. I’m very grateful for my time there. Learned a lot from my coaches, teammates, still have those relationships. But I think that I’m really excited for what Oregon’s going to bring, not only to my life, but for my teammates as well.”

Dylan Raiola speaks truth about Nebraska Cornhuskers

To be fair to Raiola, what he said is true. 

The Ducks are a true national championship contender in 2026 and they should be for a long time as long as Dan Lanning is the head coach. In the meantime, Rhule would be happy to have Nebraska mentioned as a program that could push the Ohio States, Michigans and, yes, Oregons of the Big Ten.

Let's not forget about the Indiana Hoosiers, who just won a national title.

Oregon is simply in a different stratosphere right now, and most at Nebraska could probably admit that.

That won't make it feel any better when it comes from Raiola, though.

He may not have meant to call out the Huskers for their current standing in the college football world, but he absolutely did.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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