College Sports, Controversy, and a Little Common Sense
By Jim Baxter | JB Talking Sportz
October 28, 2026
Welcome to another edition of Baxter’s Blitz, where we take a look at some of the more interesting stories making headlines around the sports world. This week, we’ve got conspiracy theories running wild in Tennessee, a million-dollar complaint in Utah, devastating news out of Oregon, and a World Series that reminds us why we fell in love with sports in the first place.
And believe me, there’s plenty to talk about.
TENNESSEE FANS: BREAK OUT THE TIN FOIL HATS!
I’m beginning to believe there must be a serious shortage of aluminum foil in Knoxville because apparently Tennessee fans have been buying the stuff by the truckload.
What is it about losing to South Carolina that sends a portion of that fan base completely over the edge?
Following the Gamecocks’ 27-24 victory over Tennessee, the conspiracy theories have once again started making the rounds. And quite frankly, some of this stuff is so ridiculous that it’s difficult to believe grown adults actually subscribe to it.
Remember the 2022 game when South Carolina absolutely dismantled Tennessee 63-38? Instead of accepting the fact that the Gamecocks played an outstanding football game, some Tennessee fans decided there must have been a conspiracy involving Michigan’s infamous sign-stealing operation and Connor Stalions.
That’s right. Apparently, South Carolina couldn’t possibly have beaten Tennessee without some sinister plot involving stolen signals.
Never mind that Spencer Rattler threw six touchdown passes and the Gamecocks hung 63 points on the Volunteers.
Nope. It had to be a conspiracy.
Now, following another loss in Columbia, we’re hearing complaints about officiating, suspicious circumstances, and just about everything imaginable.
Look, I have absolutely no problem with fans questioning officiating. There were controversial calls in Saturday’s game, and some deserve scrutiny. But there’s a considerable difference between questioning a missed call and suggesting there’s some grand conspiracy designed to keep Tennessee from winning football games.
At some point, you have to accept the possibility that your team simply got beat.
And before anyone accuses me of being a South Carolina homer, let me remind you that I’ve been one of Shane Beamer’s harshest critics this season. I’ve questioned his coaching decisions, his staff, and the direction of the program.
But I’m not going to manufacture excuses when the Gamecocks win, either.
Tennessee had opportunities to win that football game. They didn’t capitalize on enough of them.
End of story.
Somewhere in Knoxville, there’s a guy sitting in his basement wearing a tin foil hat, studying game film, and connecting red strings between photographs of Shane Beamer, Connor Stalions, and the SEC officiating office.
And somehow, I’m sure he’ll eventually find a way to blame the loss on the South Carolina State Fair.
Good grief.
UTAH, PAT McAFEE, AND THE MILLION-DOLLAR COMPLAINT
I’ve never been particularly shy about criticizing Pat McAfee when I think he’s gone overboard with his antics on ESPN’s College GameDay.
But this time, I’m firmly in his corner.
McAfee’s visit to the University of Utah turned into an unnecessarily uncomfortable experience after the university’s official social media account amplified criticism directed toward him.
Now, I realize these university accounts are probably being operated by 22-year-olds who think generating social media engagement is the highest form of human achievement.
But here’s something they apparently need to understand.
When you’re operating an official university account, you’re representing the university.
You’re not running your personal TikTok page.
There’s a level of professionalism and accountability that should accompany that responsibility.
Utah subsequently issued an apology, which was appropriate, but the entire situation was unnecessary.
And then we had the million-dollar kicking contest.
For those unfamiliar with McAfee’s weekly promotion, he gives a selected college student an opportunity to kick a field goal for a substantial amount of money.
At BYU, the potential prize had reached $3 million.
At Utah, the prize was $1 million.
One million dollars.
Let that sink in for a moment.
The student selected at Utah actually questioned why the prize wasn’t $3 million like it had been at BYU.
Seriously?
You’re standing on national television with an opportunity to win a million dollars for kicking a damn football, and you’re complaining because somebody else had a chance to win more?
Are you kidding me?
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I can think of millions of Americans who would gladly take that opportunity without uttering a single complaint.
And here’s where the story gets even better.
She missed the kick.
Walked away with absolutely nothing.
Now, I realize her comment may have been intended as a joke, but it certainly didn’t come across particularly well, and McAfee clearly wasn’t amused.
Neither am I.
There’s something fundamentally wrong with the mindset that looks at an opportunity to win a million dollars and immediately complains that it isn’t three million.
Whatever happened to simply being grateful for an extraordinary opportunity?
Personally, I thought the outcome was rather fitting.
Sometimes life has a funny way of delivering a lesson in humility.
DANTE MOORE: A DEVASTATING BLOW TO OREGON
Some unfortunate news came out of Eugene this week when Oregon head coach Dan Lanning announced that he does not anticipate quarterback Dante Moore returning this season.
Moore has been sidelined since suffering a concussion on a vicious hit while sliding during Oregon’s game against USC.
And while the Ducks have attempted to navigate their schedule without him, the reality is that losing a quarterback of Moore’s caliber changes everything.
This is a young man who entered the season with tremendous expectations and was widely regarded as one of the premier quarterback prospects in college football.
He has the arm talent, athletic ability, and natural passing skills that NFL scouts covet.
But more importantly, he was the player Oregon expected to lead its championship aspirations.
Now those aspirations have taken a significant hit.
The Ducks have turned to Dylan Raiola and Brock Thomas in Moore’s absence, but replacing a quarterback of his caliber isn’t something you accomplish simply by inserting another talented player into the lineup.
There are differences in leadership, chemistry, timing, and the confidence an offense develops when it knows its quarterback can make something happen.
And then there’s the larger issue.
Player safety.
I’ve spent a considerable amount of time around football, both as a player and evaluating athletes, and I understand perfectly well that it’s a violent sport.
I don’t subscribe to the idea that we should somehow eliminate physicality from football.
But there’s a difference between a hard, clean football play and an illegal hit on a quarterback who is already giving himself up.
When a player begins sliding, the rules are designed to protect him for a reason.
And when those protections fail, the consequences can be devastating.
In Moore’s case, we’re talking about an injury that appears to have ended his season and potentially altered the course of Oregon’s championship pursuit.
I also wonder what impact this will have on his NFL Draft decision.
Does he enter the draft following an abbreviated season, or does he return to college football to demonstrate that he’s completely healthy?
That’s a decision Moore and those advising him will have to make.
For now, however, the most important thing is his health.
Football will still be there.
His long-term well-being has to come first.
FINALLY, A WORLD SERIES FOR THE LITTLE GUYS!
How refreshing is this?
For once, we’re watching a World Series that doesn’t feature the usual collection of big-market baseball royalty.
No Yankees.
No Dodgers.
Instead, we have the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays, two smaller-market franchises battling for something neither organization has ever experienced.
A World Series championship.
And you know what?
I absolutely love it.
In an era when professional sports increasingly seem dominated by organizations with the deepest pockets, it’s refreshing to see two franchises demonstrate that good scouting, player development, smart management, and a little old-fashioned determination can still compete with the big boys.
Milwaukee won 103 games during the regular season and then swept the defending champion Dodgers right out of the National League Championship Series.
Tampa Bay took a different route, relying on the kind of roster construction, pitching, and resourcefulness that have become trademarks of the organization.
Neither franchise has the financial muscle of baseball’s traditional powerhouses.
But both have something money can’t always purchase.
A team that knows how to win.
And here’s what makes this World Series particularly special.
Regardless of who wins, somebody is going to celebrate the first championship in franchise history.
Think about that for a moment.
Generations of fans who have supported these organizations through losing seasons, disappointments, and heartbreak are finally going to see one of them reach the mountaintop.
There are people in Milwaukee who have waited decades for this opportunity.
And in Tampa Bay, a franchise that has spent much of its existence competing against the financial giants of the American League East is finally getting another opportunity to finish the job.
I think that’s fantastic.
I’ve always appreciated the underdog in sports. There’s something special about watching a team overcome the odds, especially when those odds are stacked against them financially.
Baseball has spent years wrestling with the enormous disparity between its richest and poorest franchises.
And while that problem certainly hasn’t disappeared, this World Series serves as a reminder that championships aren’t necessarily purchased.
They’re earned.
I’m not particularly invested in either team, but I’m absolutely pulling for a great series.
And for once, I really don’t care who wins.
Because either way, somebody is about to experience something they’ve never experienced before.
And that’s what sports are supposed to be about.
FINAL THOUGHTS
College sports have certainly changed over the years, and not always for the better.
We’ve got fans manufacturing conspiracy theories to explain losses, university social media accounts behaving like teenagers, and college students questioning whether a million dollars is enough money for kicking a football.
Meanwhile, one of the nation’s most talented quarterbacks is facing the possibility of having his season ended by a dangerous hit.
But then we have something like this World Series.
Two smaller-market organizations competing for a championship, reminding us that underneath all the money, controversy, and nonsense, there’s still something wonderfully pure about athletic competition.
Sometimes sports make you shake your head.
Sometimes they make you want to throw something at the television.
And sometimes they remind you why you’ve loved them your entire life.
That’s it for this edition of Baxter’s Blitz.
Until next time, keep your eyes on the scoreboard, your opinions grounded in reality, and for heaven’s sake, if you’re headed to Knoxville, take some aluminum foil.
Apparently, they’re running low.
— James Baxter
JB Talking Sportz
