“Nightcaps” is a daily column that brings you the biggest sports, current affairs and culture stories that you may have missed while pretending to work at your desk. It operates Monday to Friday OutKick.com.
Another October Hump Day is here, friends. It’s number 3 of the month, there’s only one left. Before you know it, we’ll all be basting the turkeys and hanging the lights.
It goes quickly. Soak it all up. Don’t take a single day for granted, as we are in the final stages of the biggest month of the year.
The World Series on deck. The NBA is back. Midweek college football is in full swing right now. Hockey is in full swing. The NFL is currently sending teams to Paris for reasons I still can’t understand.
NFL MONITORING STREET VIOLENCE IN FRANCE AHEAD OF SAINTS-STEELERS GAME NEAR PARIS WITH MAJOR DECISION OF IMPORTANCE
It’s just an incredible time to be alive right now if you’re a sports fan. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Let’s go ride.
Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer reacts during the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee on October 17, 2026. (IMAGINE IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
Welcome to a Hump Day Nightcaps – the one where the crowd at Neyland Stadium last weekend saw Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer see GHOSTS in the fourth quarter.
Goodness. Brutal look here for the Crimson Tide head coach. Saban would NEVER do it!
What else? I’ve got Danica Patrick back on the campaign trail, Tiffani Amber Thiessen taking a test drive of her Halloween costume, and a hypothetical college football question that’s worth your time today.
Does it look good? GOOD!
OK, take your favorite Back to the future film to celebrate Back to the future, and settle in for a Hump Day cap!
It looks like Neyland Stadium has come to Kalen DeBoer
That’s correct. Today is the day that any Back to the Future fan worth their salt knows like the back of their hand.
October 21 (2015). They thought we’d have flying cars back in the 80s when they made this movie and, to be honest, we’re getting close.
Did you all see what Elon cooked up this weekend? The ROADSTER!
Yeah, we’re not far from it! About 11 years later than Doc McFly had imagined, but still, not bad.
As for the franchise itself… I’ve been saying for years that Back to the future is one of the greatest trilogies of all time. That’s right – all the time. This is also one of those rare films where the middle film is the best of the three. It’s difficult to do. It’s rare. And BTTF succeeded all those years ago.
Impressive. What a dynasty.
OK, let’s start this lesson with another dynasty that, unfortunately, seems a little old in 2026: the Alabama Crimson Tide.
A hypothesis worth discussing
Amazing. Poor Kalen DeBoer. He looked downright miserable last weekend in Knoxville, and this video — coupled with the apparent record broken by the Vols — only makes things worse.
As for the decibel record itself… Tennessee claims it now has the highest decibel record ever recorded, at 130.3. Some people on the Internet aren’t so sure. I’ve seen fans quote the LSU-‘Bama game in 2022 at 133, and a random Nebraska game in 1992 at 133.6.
The Vols, however, maintain that last Saturday’s third sack tops them all. Extract from the official version:
No crowd noise was louder than during a huge third-quarter stretch with the Vols leading 19-10. Defensive end Tyree Weathersby recorded a sack on second down with 3:56 left in the stanza. The ensuing play, the Crimson Tide committed a delay of game penalty that put them on third-and-16.
Neyland Stadium experienced 130.3 decibels (dBA peak) at field level for a sound event that lasted seven seconds during this sequence, which was the highest scientifically verified crowd decibel event in college football history. Alabama was called for a false start a play later.
Neyland Stadium during a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Texas Longhorns in Knoxville, Tennessee on September 26, 2026. (ISI photos via Getty Images)
For what it’s worth, the highest decibel level for any The recorded sporting event took place during a Monday Night Football game at Arrowhead Stadium in 2014, according to the folks at earpeace.com. True story.
Chat!
And when you’re done debating it, take a look at this little hypothetical question floating around the internet today and tell me where you land:
Danica, Tiff Ann and happy birthday to this legend!
So, for me, this one is incredibly simple…
It’s Kirby Smart at Nebraska, right? I feel like Kirby would turn Nebraska into a powerhouse in year one. Two years maximum. I don’t even think Matt Rhule is a good coach, and he has Nebraska at 5-2 right now (should be 6-1, maybe 7-0).
As for the others…
Curt Cignetti at Missouri would be No. 2, followed by…Marcus Freeman at Michigan? I don’t know. The rest of this list seems like a disaster to me. Lincoln Riley in Texas would just be Sark 2.0. Ryan Day at Northwestern would be hilarious, and Deion Sanders at USC would be the most entertaining, but also the most combustible.
Anyway, let me know! Zach.Dean@OutKick.com.
OK, let’s quickly turn this Hump Day class into a big Hump Day party. First of all ? It’s officially the SZN election, which means Danica Patrick is back on the Trump train.
Choo-choo!
“I wish you all could spend just 5 minutes with @potus! He’s so easy to talk to and SO fun to listen to! He’s a great storyteller…funny and obviously interesting. He’s also very curious about your opinion on any topic. And of course, he loves sports, which I love!” Patrick said in his post, which included several photos from the 2024 election featuring Trump and the ex-NASCAR star.
Is anyone else here exhausted from all this election stuff? It’s just brutal. I received 7 phone calls/texts this morning alone from candidates asking for A) money, or B) for me to “complete a short survey” so they can see where things stand.
Former NASCAR driver Danica Patrick speaks during a campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump, at Lancaster Airport in Lititz, Pennsylvania on November 3, 2024. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
There are signs all over my town right now. Everywhere. On every street corner. In front of each store. Under every red light.
And don’t get me started on the commercials. Damn, the commercials. It’s non-stop. If I have to watch Byron Donalds play hoops with his kids one more time, I’m going to lose him.
You’re going to win Florida, Byron. I promise! Give us a break!!
Following? As I exit, I would be remiss if I didn’t take a minute to wish a happy 15th anniversary to what I consider one of the pivotal moments in college football history…
Pure cinema. Man, I miss the Pac-12 After Dark. What an incredible time it was. We had everything, and now it’s practically nothing.
The false reference in this video? His name is Jacen Lankow – an Arizona alum who is now a household name in Tucson.
From Tucson.com, which reported the event in real time:
CLICK HERE FOR MORE OUTKICK SPORTS COVERAGE
With four seconds left before halftime and the Wildcats leading 42-7, Lankow — a UA senior — ran onto the field dressed as a game official, whistled a dead play, yelled “ball, ball, ball,” attempted to catch the ball from the referee — then ran from midfield toward the north end zone while simultaneously ripping off his costume to reveal a Speedo.
It was a Halloween prank by the then-elder. He bought a referee outfit at the costume store across the street. He forged an all-access pass using Microsoft Paint.
Microsoft Paint!
THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW – UNFILTERED, WITHOUT EXCELLENCE AND UNMISSABLE. DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!
The fight, of course, had nothing to do with this prank. Nada. It was a completely different event.
Those were the good old days.
Okay, that’s all for today. Have a nice day everyone. Let’s continue our momentum in the second half of the week. Halloween isn’t far away, you know?
SUBSCRIBE TO OUTKICK’S DAILY NEWSLETTER
Speaking of…let’s end the day with Tiffani Amber giving us a little peek at her costume.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Well done.
Gn sports
