Michigan punter Blake O’Neill just ruined his team’s shot at the College Football Playoff
Michigan Wolverines punter Blake O’Neill was the name on everyone’s tongue at the start of the Wolverines’ rivalry matchup with the Michigan State Spartans. The graduate student and former Aussie Rules football player booted an unreal 80-yard punt in the early going. Unfortunately for him, O’Neill was also who everyone was talking about after the game and for much less favorable reasons.
Up by two points with just 10 seconds left in the game, all the Wolverines and O’Neill had to do was punt it away and the game would likely be over. That’s not what happened, though, as the punter fumbled the snap and lost the ball as he tried to punt it away again. The Spartans then returned the fumble for the game-winning touchdown in one of the craziest college football endings ever.
Michigan is no stranger to heartbreaking losses due to special teams gaffs, having lost to FCS Appalachian State back in 2007 after App State blocked what would have been the game-winning field goal. However, this one may have even larger implications than losing to an FCS school did eight years ago.
O’Neill’s unfortunate final play most likely cost the Wolverines and Jim Harbaugh their shot at making it into the College Football Playoff.
After a season-opening loss, making the College Football Playoff may have seemed like a long shot for the Wolverines in any capacity, but the way they had been playing in recent weeks had people buzzing about their chances of sneaking in. A win over Michigan State would have only further improved their case.
And they were as close as O’Neill handling the snap or falling on the fumble from getting that win.
It wouldn’t have been a guarantee that Michigan would have made it into the top-4 before season’s end had they defeated the Spartans, but now there’s virtually no chance. There’s no way a two-loss team is finding their way into that playoff and because of O’Neill’s monumental mistake, the Wolverines are now a two-loss team with no shot at competing for a national title.