The football gods seemingly got their pound of flesh from BYU on Saturday after a controversial ending to their win over Notre Dame the week prior. After taking down the No. 2 Fighting Irish in Provo, the newly minted No. 2 Cougars were struck down 39-31 by the UCF Knights in double overtime, but the game in Orlando shouldn't have reached the extra periods in the first place.
After a chaotic handful of plays on UCF's final drive in regulation, the Knights were set up to kick a would-be game-winning field goal on third down with 11 seconds remaining and the game tied at 24-24. The attempt was blocked, but kicker Will Stone recovered the ball and was tackled with two seconds left on the clock and, theoretically, another down to attempt a kick. However, Stone's helmet had come off and the officials decided there was no facemask penalty and, therefore, a 10-second runoff was needed. The second half was over and UCF didn't get an opportunity to try another kick.
UCF's upset win over No. 2 BYU had one of the craziest endings in recent memory:
— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) October 24, 2026
- UCF sets up for a game-winning field goal with 10 seconds left in regulation
- Clock resets to 15 seconds, so UCF spikes the ball, then throws a pass away
- UCF once again sets up for a… pic.twitter.com/wpZ5CzY8hf
It was a confusing sequence with both head coaches accosting the Big 12 referee crew for explanations and video reviews. Even with the transparency of hearing the on-field official discuss what the call should be with conference headquarters, it was tough to understand what was the proper protocol. Even FOX rules expert Mike Pereira agreed with the decision reached at the time, but his chronically online NBC counterpart, Terry McAulay, took to X with his rebuttal and he brought the receipts.
BYU's Week 8 demise at UCF would've come in regulation if not for late botched officiating
The Big 12's mistake centered around Stone's helmet coming off mid-play and, because there was no penalty, triggering a 10-second runoff because the clock stopped after the recovered blocked kick. McAulay pointed out that UCF should've been given an opportunity to kick another field goal on fourth down because Stone recovered the ball and his helmet being removed was not the only reason for the clock halting.
The rule: pic.twitter.com/f8QWHT9Xn2
— Terry McAulay (@tjmcaulay) October 24, 2026
Stone recovering the ball after his kick was blocked should've been considered the end of a legal kick down — translation: an acceptable way for that kind of play to end without a penalty. Therefore, his helmet coming off and not being considered a defensive facemask penalty shouldn't have triggered the clock runoff that prevented a fourth down field goal attempt. UCF should've walked off the biggest upset in program history 27-24.
BYU almost escaped with its undefeated season intact because it got the opportunity to reclaim the lead in overtime. Yet, Notre Dame fans still got their revenge via UCF. Ironically, in the same week the Big 12 got its due with five teams in the Top 25, the highest-ranked of those programs (No. 2 BYU and No. 8 Texas Tech) both fell.
If there was a conference conspiracy to keep the Big 12's best shot at a high CFP bid alive by bailing out the Cougars, it failed. It takes a little more sophistication and execution to matchup with the ruthless success of the SEC and Big Ten.
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