'Nightcaps' is a daily column that catches you up on the biggest sports, news and culture stories you may have missed while pretending to do work at your desk. It runs Monday-Friday on OutKick.com.

Happy Halloween Eve to all who celebrate! Big day. Big Friday. Big weekend in front of us.

Like I said earlier this week ... this is our last big push until the holiday season suffocates us starting Sunday morning. Everything will flip in the blink of an eye.

You'll go to bed with the Halloween theme song in your heads, and wake up to jingle bells. Whether you like it or not, it's coming. There is no stopping it.

I can already see Mariah Carey's stupid "All I Want for Christmas" social media post now. It's coming. There's nothing we can do about it. We're cornered.

That's a Sunday problem, though. For now, we respect the fall. We respect Halloween.

Let's roll.

Welcome to a Friday Nightcaps — the one where poor Billy Napier joined Mike Norvell in making some embarrassing history last night at James Madison.

Dukes fans aren't thrilled today!

CASUAL BASKETBALL FANS GOBSMACKED AT HORRIBLE ANGEL REESE HIGHLIGHTS FROM AN ACTUAL WNBA FINALS GAME

What else? I've got Maggie Sajak looking like a million bucks for Halloween, Angel Reese giving us one more highlight reel before this WNBA season mercifully ends, and can we quit complaining about "injury protection" in sports gambling?

I'm admittedly at fault, too, but enough is enough already. You know what? Society went DECADES gambling on sports with no such thing as "injury protection," and it worked pretty well. And now every sports book is supposed to issue refunds if a player gets hurt?

Why?

Grab you your favorite Michael Myers mask (I'm partial to Rob Zombie's "Halloween" mask), and settle in for a Friday 'Cap!

Billy Napier's JMU tenure is going well!

I don't know how many "Halloween" buffs we have in class today, but those of you who have been around here long enough know it's my favorite movie franchise of all time.

LSU’S MIKE THE TIGER STALKS REFEREE WHILE DRESSED AS MICHAEL MYERS, APPEARS TO BE STEERED AWAY BY STAFFER

I did the Mount Rushmore of Halloween movies a few weeks ago, so I won't rehash that today. BUT, I did find out this morning while doing the award-winning OutKick newsletter that the original "Halloween" mask from 1978 was ... a Captain Kirk mask?

Seriously:

The more you know ...

Anyway, I will be watching the original "Halloween" (1978) tomorrow night, as per usual. I save that one for Halloween night, like any sane person would do.

It's the only way to close out October. Sad. Winter is coming.

OK, let's get class started by checking in on someone who is very much looking forward to flipping the calendar ...

Billy Napier!

Angel Reese wasn't her best last night

Amazing stat.

James Madison joined Florida State last night as teams to lose back-to-back games as double-digit favorites. Incredible.

Do we have any Dukes fans in class today? I'd imagine so. I come from a James Madison family. My grandma went there way back when it was simply called "Madison." My dad went there. I toured the campus as a high school senior and loved it.

That town deserves way better than Billy Napier, and I'm speaking now as a Florida fan. I'm so sorry, JMU fans. We've been there before. I promise. We spent the last four years feeling exactly how you've felt the last two weeks.

What kind of play call was that on fourth down in overtime? Just awful. But, that's Billy Ball for you.

Embarrassing.

Speaking of ... let's check in with Angel Reese after yesterday's big Game 6 win!

Maggie, sports betting & election szn is almost over!

Lordy.

Look, it was a tough game for Angel Reese. No sugarcoating it. No hiding it. Just to show you how truly bad everyone else was, Reese somehow finished with a +/- of +10, which is stunning given she turned the ball over six times and made just 27% of her shots.

Feels like that shouldn't equate to positive play on the court, but what do I know?

Anyway, this will be my final non-Sophie Cunningham WNBA story for seven months. The season, mercifully, ends tomorrow night. It feels like it's dragged on FOREVER. It just won't end!

But at 8 p.m. tomorrow night — a COLLEGE FOOTBALL SATURDAY — we'll get a Game 7. Who's watching?!

Show of hands ...

Anyone?

Bueller?

Okeedokee! Moving on ...

Let's rapid-fire this Friday class into a big Halloween weekend, and start it off by celebrating the end of something else: Election season.

Four more days, folks. We're almost there.

That's one of the funnier pictures I've seen in a long time. Just amazing stuff. Well done to whoever took it.

Are you guys getting inundated with calls and texts right now? Lord knows I am. Hand to God, I got a text last night from James Talarico asking for money.

James Talarico! I live in Florida. These people are NUTS. They're just unrelenting. Freaking Byron Donalds texts me 14 times a day making sure I'm gonna vote.

Byron, you got my vote, pal. I promise. You're good. I'd prefer we just stick with DeSantis, but I realize that's not possible, so you're next in line.

For the love of God, please leave me alone. I'm begging you.

Next? Let's quickly check in with Christian Watson after last night's game in which he left in an ambulance, and then returned like nothing happened:

So, there's a big debate over on Elon's app right now about injury protection, which is a fairly new thing sports books have come up with over the past few years. Basically, they'll void straight bets and parlay lines if the player you bet on gets hurt and doesn't return to the game.

It sounds great on paper, right? Again, it's bailed me out a few times.

But now everyone is in an UPROAR because Watson looked to be voided last night, only for him to miraculously return to the game.

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I think it's hogwash. About a month ago, I was complaining to my dad about a player getting injured and tanking one of my bets, and I mentioned injury protection.

"Huh?" he responded. "Why would the books refund you? You lost. Tough nuts."

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He was right. The bellyaching over injury protection is insane to me. Frankly, I don't think any book should do it. I'm glad they do, but it seems like a lose-lose for them, no?

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Toughen up, buttercup! Gambling ain't for the faint of heart!

OK, that's it for today — and this week. And this month.

Happy Halloween, everyone. Farewell to October.

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And, of course, hello to Maggie Sajak.

See y'all Monday.

While the NFL Draft isn't until next April, that never stops general managers, scouts and even fans from opining on what their teams will do in the spring.

It's the main reason why mock drafts exist and are created nearly a year in advance, because everyone is dying to know who their favorite team is going to select with their first round pick.

Of course, because it's the most important position on the field, the quarterback draws the most amount of eyes when it comes to the first round of the draft, and the 2027 edition is no exception.

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There are several draft-eligible signal callers who are generating plenty of buzz, but one expert thinks this might be the year to skip out on the position altogether if a team holds a top pick.

Brooks Austin has made a living studying college football film, so much so that he's earned the moniker "The Film Guy."

His YouTube channel, "The Film Guy Network," has over 135,000 subscribers, and he's recently parlayed that into a partnership with the college football media giant On3.

Suffice to say, Austin knows ball, so when I sat down with him to talk about the college game, and more specifically, the quarterback class for the 2027 NFL Draft, he gave a surprising assessment.

"Can I punt on the entire class," he asked, half jokingly.

As Austin points out, there are some solid quarterbacks in this class, but none are the "can't miss" prospects that would necessitate a top-five pick like in years past.

Most experts figured Oregon's Dante Moore would be the first QB off the board in '27, given he was already projected to go high last year before deciding to return to Eugene.

An injury might have derailed that for Moore, but as Austin points out, the injured Duck wasn't without some limitations of his own even before exiting for the season.

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"Dante Moore is a really good football player," he explains. "But (he) gets stuck on reads and makes his mind up pre-snap, and that scares me. He's also a little up and down, like from a fundamental standpoint, from a mechanics standpoint, he just kinda gets away with a lot of it in college football."

Moore wasn't the only one giving Austin some pause.

Ole Miss's Trinidad Chambliss, one of the preseason Heisman favorites, has had a fine season statistically, but his build makes Austin nervous about him at the next level.

"I love him, but there are some physical questions about that one as well, like, is he gonna work at his stature when we get to the league?"

Other quarterbacks like Texas' Arch Manning and LSU's Sam Leavitt get mentioned as well, with Austin stating question marks about their decision making and turnover problems.

The prospect who Austin believes should go number one overall shouldn't come as a shock to anyone who watches football on Saturday.

"If I had the number one overall pick, I'd draft Jeremiah Smith," Austin admits. "And then next year I try to find a quarterback."

Austin explains that Smith, the Ohio State wide receiver, is a "guarantee" and one of the only truly generational prospects we've seen in the game since Andrew Luck in 2012.

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"I would draft Smith, and I'd be like, 'I've got the best prospect and most known prospect that's come out of college football... since maybe like Andrew Luck,'" Austin claims. "I would just draft him if I was bad enough to be the number one overall pick."

So, you thought this would be an average coaching carousel compared to previous years?

If history is any indication, it only takes one domino to fall in college football for the chaos to begin.

After Maryland decided to fire coach Mike Locksley, we now have three openings in college football (NC State, Baylor) before a weekend slate of games that could trigger further discussions on a number of coaches that are teetering on the edge.

But, as we've all seen over the past year, the financial aspect of making moves in this current climate of college athletics will also play a pivotal role in what this carousel looks like as we head down the final stretch of the regular season.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S JERRY JONES? TEXAS TECH BOOSTER CODY CAMPBELL DEMANDS RETURN ON INVESTMENT

Also, the situation in Tallahassee continues to be in flux, with the Florida State administration pleading with fans to show up for the student-athletes, with no mention of head coach Mike Norvell in their statement earlier this week.

There are a number of folks around the Seminoles program that would prefer not paying a reported $50 million buyout, and potentially allocating those funds towards piecing a competitive roster for the 2027 season.

FLORIDA STATE FIRES AD MICHAEL ALFORD, AS MIKE NORVELL’S SEAT REACHES A BOILING POINT IN TALLAHASSEE

Here are two of the more intriguing situations currently taking place across college football, that could lead to a number of dominos falling.

So, let's take a look at where we are, after speaking with multiple sources across the country.

If Lincoln Riley loses to Ohio State this weekend, the temperature will only rise

After losing to Wisconsin last weekend, with a disastrous effort on offense, folks around the USC program are starting to wonder what the future holds for the Trojans head coach that made it clear this week he wants to remain in Los Angeles.

Well sure, a lot of coaches would love to keep their jobs at schools that are described as 'premier' in the sport.

For Lincoln Riley, the ongoing chatter among those within the industry is that if USC were to lose to a backup quarterback from Ohio State on Saturday, the situation could turn very quick.

LINCOLN RILEY ADDRESSES USC FUTURE SPECULATION AHEAD OF HUGE OHIO STATE SHOWDOWN

Remember, athletic director Jen Cohen did not hire Lincoln. As we previously reported on this matter, there have already been questions as to whether Riley could find himself an escape hatch that opens back up in his home state of Texas.

We all know he's a competitor, but leaving USC for a return to the Big 12 at a school like Baylor might not be the worst thing for a head coach who is hanging on by a thread at his current employer. Also, what about a school like TCU, if they were to move on from Sonny Dykes?

The reported $70 million buyout for Lincoln Riley could be mitigated if he were to take another job within college football, so that number could actually drop, though it would be interesting to see by how much.

Yes, the USC head coach can say all of the right things about how much he loves his job, and that he's had opportunities to leave Los Angeles in the past. But, there is a real possibility that if USC were to lose on Saturday night, another two losses could be on the way against Indiana and UCLA.

And, pay attention to what happens if Lincoln were to be fired in regard to who could potentially be a top candidate. There are a lot of folks wondering if Kalen DeBoer would enjoy getting the band back together with his former athletic director, Jen Cohen at USC.

It's a mess at Colorado for the athletic department regarding Deion Sanders

OK, the honeymoon period ended two years ago for Coach Prime in Boulder.

Remember when Deion Sanders dared the media to write the truth about what was taking place at Colorado?

Yea, I don't imagine he thought that one through.

DEION SANDERS DARED THE MEDIA TO WRITE THE TRUTH ABOUT COLORADO FOOTBALL: OK, IT'S TIME TO END THIS CHARADE

It was the 2024 season that gave Colorado fans something to savor, thanks in large part to Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, along with a group of teammates who bought into what Coach Prime was instilling within Boulder.

Then came a 3-9 season in 2025, followed by a squad that is currently 2-5 after additional collapses over the past few weeks.

MAHJONG IS THE NEW TAILGATE GAME TAKING OVER COLLEGE FOOTBALL FOR WOMEN — AND EVEN AT HOME WITH HEAD COACHES

Deion has spent more time getting into arguments with local media over the last two seasons than actually promoting his program. He thought things would go a different way after Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter left, with recruits and portal stars wanting to flock towards Colorado.

What we've seen since has been abysmal. Would athletic director Fernando Lovo be able to garner enough support to justify paying Deion Sanders somewhere around $25 million to go away?

We might find that part out sooner rather than later, especially if the Buffaloes were to lose again this weekend to Kansas State.

The celebrities are no longer showing up and the patience has run out in Boulder.

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But, would Deion leave on his own, or force Colorado to pay his buyout while knowing it could become contentious?

There are a number of jobs around college football that could be forced open over the next month, as we enter a potential wild month of November and the end of the regular season.

Stay tuned to OutKick for the latest.

Let me know what you think. Email me your thoughts at Trey.Wallace@Outkick.com

To say that expectations were high at USC heading into the 2026 college football season would be an understatement.

The Trojans, especially head coach Lincoln Riley, were adamant that this year would be different than the recent disappointments. SC finished 9-3 in 2025, brought in the number one recruiting class in the country, added some talent at key positions in the transfer portal, and returned starting quarterback Jayden Maiava after a strong 2025. They hired former TCU head coach Gary Patterson to run the defense. In theory, the elements had finally come together to return the program to prominence. And they said as much.

"The time is now," the marketing campaign went. Riley gave interviews in the spring, including one to On3, where he said the administration got "serious" about competing at the highest levels of college football.

LINCOLN RILEY’S USC TENURE COULD END WITH LOSS AGAINST OHIO STATE’S BACKUP QUARTERBACK, AND $70M BUYOUT

"USC had to get really serious about being great in the sport again," he explained. " I give the school administration — everybody — credit. They have.

"Taking this over, you knew you had to go fight like hell just to try to get this window opened," Riley said. "And we’re at a point right now where there’s a lot to be excited about and a lot in front of us. It’s been a lot of work for a lot of people, a lot of commitment from a lot of people to get there, and it should be a lot of fun these next few years."

"We came here to win championships," he continued. " A lot of us have been fortunate enough to be a part of a lot of championships. We certainly didn’t come here for anything less. We’ve got to go buckle down and improve and really come together, but there’s the makings of a championship-level football team in that building right now."

Fast-forward to late-October, and they're anything but. After an inexcusable loss to Wisconsin this past weekend, USC is now 6-2 and unranked in the AP Poll. While they had a nice win over Penn State in a hostile "White Out" environment in Happy Valley, the Trojans lost at home to a very mediocre Oregon Ducks team playing a backup quarterback.

The seven points they scored against the Badgers on the road, after a bye week no less, represented the lowest point total of any Lincoln Riley-coached team. With a senior quarterback in his third season in the program and a very highly-paid offensive line. Naturally, the defense wasn't good enough to keep the game close. It never is.

The performance, the record, the mediocrity, the consistent underachievement ... all of it has led to rampant, and growingly serious, speculation that Riley's job is contingent on a strong finish to the season. Perfect timing to host Ohio State and go on the road to face Indiana.

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Part of the speculation is the assumption, or the observation, that Riley doesn't seem fully connected to the USC program. That he's ready to move on as much as the SC fanbase is ready to move on from him.

He addressed those questions and opinions at a news conference this week, saying that he's fully committed to staying in LA and that SC is where he belongs.

LINCOLN RILEY HOT SEAT RUMORS GET LOUDER AFTER 'FIRE LINCOLN' CHANTS DURING USC-WASHINGTON

"Listen, if I didn't want to be at this place, I wouldn't have come here in the first place. I've had plenty of opportunities to leave," Riley explained Tuesday afternoon. "This is where I want to be. This is the right place for me. I'm the right person to be here. And that's as honest and transparent as I can be with you guys.

"I love it here. I mean like I told you guys a lot of times — there's not many people in college football history that gave up what I gave up to come here," Riley said. "I don't care if it's 15 years down the line, that never should be taken lightly. It's certainly not taken lightly by me. I came here because I believe in this place and none of that has changed whatsoever."

That's an interesting way to put it, because it's not exactly clear what Riley "gave up" to come to SC. He got a huge raise in salary. He locked in a massive buyout, ensuring generational wealth no matter how well he coached. He went from living in Norman, Oklahoma, to a palatial $35 million mansion on top of a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean, acquired for him by USC. What was the big sacrifice he made? Theoretically losing favor with Oklahoma fans, but uh, you know, $100+ million can make up for some mean comments by anonymous message board accounts.

Riley said that he has a great relationship with USC's Athletic Director Jen Cohen, and said she's been a "huge part of the progress that we've made."

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Though again, it's not clear what progress he's referring to. USC went 11-1 in the regular season in his first year in LA, thanks in large part to Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams. They haven't won 10 games since, and have to win while playing three top-10 teams to do so in 2026.

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As for his demeanor, which can sometimes give off the impression he doesn't care, Riley addressed that too.

"When you're a head coach of a blue-blood school, you have to be ready to weather the storms, the overly positive or the overly negative," he said. "Typically, what I've learned from doing this for a few years, I haven't learned it all, but the truth typically lies somewhere in the middle. And that's typically where it's at even if you know that it's going to sensationalize. And so my job is to stay steady."

Well, that's all true. And all well and good. But when your team comes out lifeless for road game after road game, loses games it should win to programs like Minnesota, Maryland and Wisconsin, and struggles against Oregon or Notre Dame, it's reasonable to question. Watching what Curt Cignetti has done at Indiana, or even Bob Chesney in his first year at UCLA, it's easy to see why there's such disappointment in Riley's work at SC. There's little toughness, discipline, or consistency on the roster. And always another special teams mistake.

Riley might be committed to USC, but that's a two-way street. And Saturday's game, Ohio State playing with potentially a true freshman backup quarterback on the road, might be enough to end the Trojans' commitment to him. Baylor anyone?

June Jones, a longtime football coach who made an impact at the college level, died at the age of 73 on Thursday.

Jones was placed in hospice care two weeks ago, as he’s dealt with health issues earlier this year, per the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

The University of Hawai’i, where Jones served as head coach from 1999-2007 after playing quarterback for the Rainbow Warriors, confirmed his death.

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Timmy Chang, Hawai’i’s current head coach, became the NCAA’s all-time passing yards leader under the tutelage of Jones. He said "words can’t express the sorrow" he feels learning of his old coach’s passing.

"Coach Jones was a father figure, a mentor, and a visionary who revolutionized the game," Chang said in a statement, per ESPN. "He believed in a young kid from Hawai’i and gave me the opportunity of a lifetime to run his offense. And his impact didn’t stop when my playing days ended. He guided me every step of the way as I transitioned into coaching, always making time to share his wisdom and support me when I took over this program.

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"He put Hawai'i football on the map and showed us all what was possible. We lost a true legend today, but I will spend the rest of my career trying to honor his legacy, his passion for this university and the Aloha he shared with everyone he touched. My deepest condolences go out to his 'ohana and all those who he impacted."

After playing college ball at Hawai’i, Portland State and Oregon, Jones signed as an undrafted free agent with the Atlanta Falcons, whom he spent four seasons with, backing up quarterback Steve Bartkowski. He started five games in his NFL career, winning just one.

Jones’ coaching career began right after his playing days were over. He eventually worked his way to become the Falcons’ head coach from 1994-96, and he would be named the interim head coach of the San Diego Chargers in 1998.

He had an opportunity to remain in place, but he decided to head back to Hawai’i to become its head coach. Jones led the Rainbow Warriors to conference titles in 1999 and 2007, the latter season being a historic one.

Hawai’i began the season 12-0 and made the school’s first-ever BCS bowl game (Sugar Bowl).

"The 2007 season and making the Sugar Bowl, that went over what anybody ever thought was possible," Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi, a former Rainbow Warriors player and assistant coach, said in a statement. "I was on the field for the game [against] the University of Washington. We were down 21 points, not once but twice, and still came back to win against a very formidable opponent. That kind of coaching and who he was was very, very special. He leaves an incredible legacy here. June was very special, we will miss him, but his legacy will live on."

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Jones’ career took him to SMU next, where he was head coach from 2008-14. He also coached in the USFL and CFL.

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