College football fans found a new joke online this week, and it quickly went viral. It involved Patrick Mahomes, Dylan Raiola, and the Oregon Ducks.
It started when Mahomes posted a photo on social media. He was wearing an Oregon Ducks jersey while recovering from an ACL injury. The post was not random. Mahomes had lost a bet to Chiefs rookie linebacker Jeffrey Bassa, who played college football at Oregon.
The bet came from Oregon’s blowout win over Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl. Texas Tech is Mahomes’ former school. After the win, Mahomes had to pay up. Ducks fans immediately ran with it.
Things got even funnier when fans connected the moment to Dylan Raiola. Raiola has been compared to Mahomes for years. He looks like him. He plays like him. The comparisons have never stopped. When Raiola committed to Oregon, fans joked that Mahomes wearing an Oregon jersey was the signal that sealed the deal.
The jokes spread fast. Fans called the jersey photo the “bat signal” that Raiola could not ignore. The timing made it perfect. One moment turned into a full crossover joke across college football social media.
Raiola transferred from Nebraska after spending two seasons with the Cornhuskers. In 2025, he threw for 2,000 yards and 18 touchdowns. His season ended early after a broken fibula limited him to nine games. Even so, his progress was clear. His completion rate jumped to 72.4 percent, up from 67.1 percent as a freshman.
Oregon’s quarterback situation also added to the buzz. Dante Moore led the Ducks to the College Football Playoff semifinals but suffered a heavy loss to Indiana. Moore has not yet decided whether he will return to school or declare for the 2026 NFL draft.
For fans, none of that detail really mattered. They saw Mahomes in an Oregon jersey. They saw Raiola heading to Eugene. The joke came together on its own.