Published October 18, 2026 08:33 AM
Oops.
That’s basically what the Big 12 said after Saturday night’s game between Notre Dame and BYU, which resulted in a 28-24 upset of the No. 2 Irish — who surely would have moved to No. 1 with a win, thanks to No. 1 Georgia’s loss earlier in the day.
The game ended after a pass by the Irish on first and goal fell incomplete in the end zone. One second remained on the clock. No one noticed it. Not the officials, not the broadcast.
“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 Big 12 said in a statement. “The Conference will conduct a complete review of its end-of-game officiating process in advance of next week’s games.”
It’s a great gig. Mistakes without consequences. Just say “sorry” and move on.
Last Sunday, referee Ron Torbert was emphatic that one second remained in the Eagles-Jaguars game in London after Jacksonville kick returner Ameer Abdullah was tackled in game-winning field goal range with one second left in overtime. (Which is good, not only because Torbert was right but also because NFL rules prohibit a replay review regarding the time remaining when fewer than two seconds are left on the clock.)
Last night, the referee missed it. The rest of the crew missed it. The replay process — which is there specifically for the purpose of spotting things the on-field officials miss — missed it. Everyone missed it.
Except those who were, you know, watching the game on TV.
Here’s the question. Did the replay officials miss it, or did they just say “screw it” because the crowd at LaVell Edwards Stadium had stormed the field? It would have been difficult (but not impossible) to clear the area and resume the game.
The Big 12 statement glosses over explaining how it happened. That’s the Occam’s razor explanation. If true, that makes the outcome even worse. And, if that’s what happened, the “complete review of its end-of-game officiating process” should include permanently relieving whoever made that decision of their duties.
