College football madness: courthouse goalposts, trash throwing, riots galore

The football gods once again provided us with another crazy Saturday of action that saw a myriad of upsets, wild finishes and students once again trashing fields, as we inch closer to the playoffs. 

There was a good chance that we were headed towards some type of chaos this weekend, which usually happens as we get closer to the end of the regular season. Whether it’s rivalry games or matchups that will decide how conference championship weekend will play out, we had it all this weekend. 

While the SEC took center stage, with pivotal games in Oxford and Baton Rouge, it turned out to be a humbling weekend for a number of teams looking to make statements of their own. 

Ole Miss found itself on the winning side of  a ‘must win’ situation against Georgia to keep their playoff hopes alive, and prevent the season from going up in flames. While down in Louisiana, it was Alabama that humbled LSU in one of those ‘elimination games’ that saw the Tide’ demoralize the Tigers, seemingly ending any hopes of Brian Kelly coaching in the playoffs. 

On the other hand, Alabama looked like a squad that will be a massive problem down the stretch, thanks to a ferocious defense, and Jalen Milroe. 

SEC, Big 12 Produce Crazy Endings. BYU And Missouri Go Wild Late

While everyone was rightfully paying attention to the game in Death Valley on Saturday night, it was actually Missouri and Oklahoma that delivered one of the wildest endings in recent memory for both teams. 

After both teams traded touchdowns to tie it up 16-16 in the fourth quarter, Missouri running back Jamal Roberts fumbled the football without any of his teammates realizing it, leading to Oklahoma scooping it up and returning it 43 yards for the touchdown to take the lead. 

But, Missouri wasn’t done just yet. Quarterback Drew Pyne, playing for an injured Brady Cook, led the Tigers on a 75-yard TD drive to tie the game back up. Then all hell broke loose just seconds later. Oklahoma’s Jackson Arnold was tackled and stripped of the football, leading to Missouri’s Zion Young picking it up and running it in for the defensive touchdown with only 22 seconds remaining in the game. 

The Tigers had scored two touchdowns in under a minute to win the game, and keep their playoff chances alive in what was the craziest ending of the day. 

In the nightcap, it was BYU traveling to Utah for the ‘Holy War’ rivalry game that turned into pure chaos in the final few minutes. 

After Utah took the 21-19 lead in the fourth quarter, BYU had a few chances to take the lead after missing out on a 2-point conversion earlier in the quarter. The ending saw the Cougars having to drive the field to get close enough for a field-goal to steal the win, and keep their undefeated season alive. 

A few penalties later, one which came while BYU was literally in their own endzone trying to complete the first down pass, the Cougars got close enough for the field goal try. 

Another unbelievable final minute of football ended with a chaotic finish which kept the Cougars in control of the Big 12, and their college football playoff hopes alive. 

What a ‘Holy War!’ But it wasn’t over there, as Utah athletic director Mark Harlan took to the podium before the Utes head coach to proclaim that the game was stolen from them by the officials. Yes, there was some controversy surrounding the penalty on 4th down which gave BYU another set of downs, on their own end of the field, but I’ve never heard an AD come out and blast a conference and officials. 

The ACC Is Up For Grabs, Thanks To Georgia Tech Upsetting No. 4 Miami

Oh, so you thought the ACC was now going to just be handed to Miami after Clemson lost last weekend? Sorry, this season has been way too crazy for it to happen that easily. 

Georgia Tech entered the game with an upset on their minds, and that’s exactly how it went down in Atlanta on Saturday, thanks to the Yellow Jackets running all over the Hurricanes. We knew that Miami was hanging on by a thread this season with that defense that looked as though it was ready to break like a dam, and it ended up happening earlier than the ACC title game. 

Don’t worry, the Georgia Tech social media team threw us all a bone with this fantastic video of fans rushing the field after the 28-23 upset win that left SMU sitting atop the conference standings. 

Colorado Controls Its Own Big 12 Destiny, Showered With Tortillas, Trash

Yea, Colorado and Deion Sanders didn’t get the message following the Nebraska loss in September that they were supposed to just fade away into the night. Nope, they turned what could’ve been a backbreaking loss into an uplifting story of determination. 

If it wasn’t enough that Coach Prime has his team currently sitting at 7-2 on the season after beating Texas Tech on Saturday, they also now control their own destiny when it comes to playing for a Big 12 title, and snagging a spot in the college football playoff. Thanks to Kansas destroying Iowa State, which was the second-straight loss for the Cyclones, Colorado can now make the conference title game by winning-out. 

Oh, and it wouldn’t be a Saturday in college football without students throwing trash onto the field. It wasn’t just tortillas that Texas Tech students were tossing onto the field yesterday, as they were clearly upset about a few calls that didn’t go their way, so littering the sideline with water bottles was a way to express their frustration. Also, they wouldn’t be the only team to do this stupid act this weekend, but more on that later. 

Credit to Shilo Sanders for sarcastically taking a water bottle thrown at the Colorado sidelines, and tossing it back to Red Raider fans. That was just the icing on the cake for the Buffaloes. 

And guess what? Every game remaining they will be favored in, and should win. So yes, after taking over a program left for dead, and folks thinking it couldn’t be done, Deion Sanders is just three wins away from playing for the Big 12’s automatic bid to the playoffs. 

Trash Throwing At LSU, Ole Miss Goalposts Ending Up At Courthouse

Remember when I told you earlier that there was another incident involving a student section throwing trash onto the field, thinking it would actually rile up the team, or force the referees to review a penalty called on the field? Well, thanks for the help, Texas Longhorns. 

Yes, after Longhorn fans caused enough time to pass for officials to review a call on the field by trashing their endzone, other student sections have decided that throwing water bottles and other items will help their team. This time the award for stupidity went to not only Texas Tech, but LSU fans on Saturday. 

Nope, they did not end up helping their team, and it actually didn’t matter at all during the game because LSU was destroyed at home 42-13 by Alabama. 

As for Ole Miss students, I have to give them credit for their enthusiasm. Nope, they did not throw trash onto the field, but they did rush the field twice in a span of about one minute. And yes, even though Lane Kiffin was thrilled with the win, he was still agitated that he had to wait a few more minutes for the game against Georgia to officially end. 

But I can’t be agitated by Rebel fans, as they actually pulled-off the second-best goalpost celebration of the season, behind Vanderbilt fans carrying their own posts three miles to downtown Nashville, just to dump them into the Cumberland River. 

Ole Miss students did things a little differently. After leaving the stadium with their goalposts, both of them, they carried them through downtown Oxford, and left them at the Lafayette County Courthouse, which is also the Governors mansion. This is actually a pretty nice gesture, as the police didn’t have to worry about chasing those goalposts down inside some fraternity house. 

I think we saw just about everything this weekend in college football, and I advise all of you to continue soaking up the fun as the regular season is inching closer to the finish line. 

Let me know what you thought about the weekend, and your team’s performance, by emailing me at [email protected]