College Football1 hour ago2 minute read

Big 12 admits mistake on final clock ruling in BYU win

The Big 12 acknowledged an officiating mistake that deprived Notre Dame of one last play against BYU.

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Officiating mistake ends game early

The Big 12 conference officially admitted to an officiating error at the end of Saturday night's matchup between BYU and Notre Dame. League officials confirmed that one second should have been put back on the clock in Provo, Utah. That extra second would have given Notre Dame one last play to try and win the game.

The contest was ruled over after Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr threw an incomplete pass to Jaden Greathouse in the end zone. That play appeared to seal a 28-24 victory for No. 8 BYU against No. 2 Notre Dame. However, video replays later confirmed that the ball hit the ground with one second remaining on the clock. Because of that, Notre Dame should have been awarded another play on second down.

League statement and previous issues

In an official statement, the Big 12 explained 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 added that it will conduct a complete review of its end of game officiating process prior to next week's slate of games.

Since Notre Dame plays as an FBS independent, its games are always officiated by the conference representing the opponent. Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman seemed to take issue with a non call for pass interference against BYU cornerback Evan Johnson, describing the closing moments as chaos. However, Freeman was not asked about any clock issue immediately after the game ended.

This mistake represents the second high profile clock situation across college football this season. In the season opener, Western Michigan appeared to beat Michigan when the clock on the television broadcast ran out. The Big Ten later ruled that the stadium clock still showed one second left, and Michigan subsequently won the game on a Hail Mary pass.

What it means for the next game

BYU Cougars at UCF Knights (College Football, Sat, 24 Oct): UCF Knights win 28%, BYU Cougars win 72%; projected score UCF Knights 20, BYU Cougars 26. Our safest pick: BYU to win.