Heartbreaking end to Virginia Tech's comeback vs. Pitt is exactly why field goals should be reviewable

Many fans that watched the ending of Pittsburgh vs. Virginia Tech on Friday night were convinced the Hokies pulled off an 11-point comeback in the fourth quarter with a last-second walkoff field goal. Yet, the on-field officials emphatically waved their arms side to side to indicate kicker John Love had sent the ball wide right.

Fans behind the uprights were celebrating because, from the head-on angle, the ball looked to have snuck inside the right upright. The ESPN broadcast didn't question the call nor showed alternative angles until long after the handshakes had commenced at midfield.

One angle from underneath the goal posts seemed to confirm suspicions the officials got it wrong and Virginia Tech unfairly lost the game. It created uproar over the fact that place kicks are the one scoring play that cannot be reviewed.

Virginia Tech's controversial loss should prompt NCAA to allow field goal reviews

More internet sleuths managed to dig up other alternative angles and people's reaction near the goalposts and it created further contradiction to belief Virginia Tech had actually won the game. In those angles, the ball appears to sail directly over the goalposts, which, in the NCAA, doesn't count as a successful try like in the NFL. There were also apparently two Virginia Tech employees under the goal posts that shook their heads in disappointment before the officials indicated the kick had missed.

The amateur investigations are just further proof college football — and football in general — needs to create a process to review and confirm tight kicks like the one seen on Friday. Goal posts in the NCAA top out at 30 feet above the ground. That's a whole 15 feet shorter than NFL uprights. With the increased range and power of the modern kicker, the frequency of kicks going over top the uprights has only gone up.

That's creating an unnecessary problem for college football because now the unclear evidence for this incident will establish a narrative should Pittsburgh, still undefeated, sneak into the College Football Playoff while Virginia Tech (4-1) misses out because of this loss. It's unlikely either makes the 12-team bracket without winning the ACC outright, but the principle still stands in the conference title game-qualifying scenario too.

With all the technology that's been introduced into the game over the last decade, you'd think the NCAA would've commissioned a device like the goal line sensor in soccer to determine how close a ball comes to the top of an upright. Some ambiguity in football is good, but leaving these kinds of scenarios in the gray area is unnecessary. It'll only get addressed, though, if it happens on the biggest stage and impacts a bigger brand.

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