The Big 12 has admitted that the final seconds of BYU’s 28-24 win over Notre Dame should not have ended the way they did.
After Notre Dame’s last drive reached deep into BYU territory Saturday night, CJ Carr threw toward Jaden Greathouse from the Cougars’ eight-yard line. The pass hit the ground incomplete, the officials ruled the game finished, and LaVell Edwards Stadium erupted in celebration.
On Sunday morning, the conference said that call should have been followed by one more snap.
“Following the Big 12’s review of the final play of Saturday’s Notre Dame-BYU game, it was determined that time remained on the clock when the ball hit the ground and the play was incorrectly cleared by the replay officiating crew,” the conference said.
That would have given Notre Dame another chance to try for a game-winning touchdown. The Big 12 did not say exactly how much time should have been left, though it appeared likely to be one second. There’s no way to know what would have happened if the Irish had gotten that additional play.
It was still a major acknowledgment from the conference after one of the weekend’s biggest college football games.
The Big 12 also said it will take a hard look at how it handles end-of-game situations.
“The Conference will conduct a complete review of its end-of-game officiating process in advance of next week’s games,” the statement concluded.
Even with the mistake, BYU’s win stands. The Cougars are 6-0 after taking down the No. 2 Fighting Irish, and the result remains a huge one for the program and for the Big 12 Conference.
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BYU Win Over Notre Dame Just Sparked A Brutal New Debate
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Now the conference is set to conduct a full review of the end-of-game officiating process, which only adds to the frustration around a finish that already had people debating what should have happened next. For BYU, the result still stands for the moment, but the closing sequence has become the kind of replay controversy that can linger long after the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]
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The Big 12 later acknowledged there was still one second left on the clock after the final play, meaning the replay officiating crew should not have ended it when it did. The result left Notre Dame fuming and added another layer to a night already marked by debate, with former NFL player Breiden Fehoko also stoking the conversation by publicly claiming officials rig games at both the NFL and college levels, a charge that remains unverified. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs Notre Dame Win Now Comes With One Uncomfortable Question
BYUs win over Notre Dame still stands, but the finish has taken on a new layer of controversy after the Big 12 acknowledged officials got the final play wrong. The conference said one second should have remained on the clock, which would have given Notre Dame another snap, and added that the replay officiating crew incorrectly cleared the play while time was still left.
The result is a victory for the Cougars on the record, but it also leaves an uncomfortable question hanging over one of the biggest moments of the game. The Big 12 said it will conduct a full review of its end-of-game officiating process before upcoming games, a step that underscores how much scrutiny this finish has drawn. [Read more 🡒]