Holy War Meltdown

The Holy War absolutely delivered.

The drama, the stakes, the environment, and the finish were as good as it gets in college football, and the postgame controversy only made it that much better. 

This holding call negated Utah's game-clinching stop and gave BYU new life. 

The cardiac Cougars responded by marching down the field, setting up Will Ferrin for the game-winning 44-yard field goal. 

Utah AD Mark Harlan responded by interrupting the post-game press conference to throw a tantrum about the officials and the Big 12.

Harlan said the game was “stolen” from the Utes and lamented being in the Big 12 (for one day, at least). Frankly, it was an embarrassing display from a highly compensated administrator who should have more self-control. 

We can debate the merits of the call. I think it met the minimum threshold for holding, even if I can understand some frustration over it being called in that spot. 

But it was clearly at least debatable. 20-year NFL veteran referee Terry McAulay called it an “obvious foul.” 

One thing is for sure: it was not a bad enough call to lose credibility over, and that’s exactly what Harlan did. 

This has been a brutal season for Utah. The Utes expected to dominate a conference they viewed as beneath them. Instead, they lost star quarterback Cam Rising (again) and are mired in a five-game losing streak. Head coach Kyle Whittingham is in the twilight of his career and may soon pass the program off to head-coach-in-waiting Morgan Scalley. 

It’s a program suddenly in flux after years of rock-solid stability. And you can see the anxiety and frustration of Utah’s situation bubbling over into Harlan’s microphone. 

Utah fans have been beefing with fans of other Big 12 schools for years now. It’s now easy to see where they get their arrogance and attitude. 

Harlan is paying the price for his comments. The Big 12 fined him $40,000, and Commissioner Brett Yormark issued a stern statement warning of harsher punishment if it happens again. 

This incident threw gas on the fire of the Big 12-Utah fan beef. If things are ever going to improve between the Utes and the rest of the league, it needs to start at the top.

Week One: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good

BYU Feels Like a Team of Destiny

No matter where you stand on the holding call, it’s impossible not to feel like BYU is a team of destiny. 

Twice, the Cougars have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with borderline miraculous last-minute touchdown drives against Oklahoma State and Utah. 

The odds were stacked against BYU in both instances, but they found a way to convert on 4th and long to help set up the go-ahead scores. Both drives also include a massive play from wide receiver Chase Roberts. 

The “team of destiny” moniker comes to life even more when you consider the striking similarities between BYU and 2022 TCU, who came out of nowhere to make a run to the national title game. 

Keep in mind the graphic was created before the Utah game. 

The Cougars’ scramble-mode field goal that won the game in Salt Lake City was reminiscent of TCU’s November rivalry win over Baylor, which also ended with a fire drill field goal. 

None of these parallels guarantees a College Football Playoff win for the Cougars. Their final three regular-season games are trickier than they looked just a few weeks ago. 

Kansas is playing its best football of the season and just spanked Iowa State. Arizona State might be the quietest 7-2 team in the country. And Houston has won three of four since making a change at quarterback. 

But it certainly appears that BYU has the right combination of skill and fortune to put together one of the greatest seasons in Big 12 and school history. 

 
Colorado’s Poise

It’s taken a few weeks, but I think everybody in the college football world has finally realized that Coach Prime’s program is more than just a hollow sideshow. The Buffaloes are a complete team peaking at just the right time. 

Their latest step forward came in hostile territory. Lubbock, Texas, was charged up for a monster home game with Big Noon Kickoff in the house and a viable path to the College Football Playoff on the line. 

The road environment seemed to rattle Colorado early – much like it did in Lincoln, Nebraska, in September. 

Tech jumped out to a 13-0 lead, and frustrations boiled over as the dynamic Colorado offense sputtered. Two-way star Travis Hunter was shown screaming at quarterback Shedeur Sanders after an overthrow. 

But Coach Prime was perfectly calm in his sideline interview after the first quarter. He was exactly the steadying force the Buffs needed. 

“It was go time,” Sanders said. “It was never a stress. It was never a sweat. It was never a doubt.”

Colorado started getting the ball out of Sanders’ hands faster while utilizing their screen game. It worked to the tune of five straight scoring drives that built an insurmountable 31-20 lead.  

Give plenty of credit to Robert Livingston’s defense, too. They held the line while their offense was scuffling and kept the Buffaloes in the game. That’s no easy task against an All-American caliber running back and the second-best passing attack in the league.

Colorado controls its playoff destiny, and rightfully so. They’ve found a legitimate defense to go with the flash of their offense, and the Buffs have now proven they can handle a top-tier road atmosphere and still take care of business. 

Hunter even left with one of the most unique souvenirs you can find in college football. 

Arizona State Quietly Grinding

No Cam Skattebo, no problem. 

Arizona State won a wild shootout with UCF 35-31 in a game that featured five lead changes. The Sun Devils took the lead for good on quarterback Sam Leavitt’s third touchdown pass with 4:55 left in the game. 

They did it all while Skattebo, one of the country’s best running backs, sat out with a shoulder injury just one week after out-gaining Oklahoma State by himself. 

There’s not enough attention being paid to ASU right now. In mid-November, the team picked last in the Big 12 standings is tied for third in the conference and still technically in the College Football Playoff hunt. 

It’s not like they’re catching all the breaks, either. The Sun Devils have had to play games without Skattebo and Leavitt in the back half of the season. 

Head coach Kenny Dillingham is building a solid foundation. Leavitt is only a redshirt freshman, and his favorite target, receiver Jordan Tyson, is a sophomore. Tyson hauled in two TDs in the win over UCF, including the game-winner.

“People should be fired up about the opportunity to build around that and I’m just glad he’s here,” Dillingham said of Leavitt. “Helps make me look good.”

Dillingham will look even better if he can pull off an upset of K-State in Manhattan this weekend. Arizona State is a nine-point underdog, but don’t sleep on the 7-2 Sun Devils.

The Bad

Iowa State’s Dream Season Dying

What is happening to Iowa State?

In mid-October, it looked like the Cyclones were destined to finally break through with the first ten-win season in school history. Since then, ISU barely survived UCF, coughed up a late lead at home to Texas Tech, and got thumped by 2-6 Kansas. 

Take nothing away from the Jayhawks. They’re so much better than their record shows and are playing easily their best football of the season right now. 

That doesn’t mean it wasn’t still shocking to see the defensive collapse from a typically stingy Jon Heacock unit on Saturday. KU put up over 500 yards of offense and built a 38-13 lead. 

Injuries have significantly contributed to the issues on that side of the ball. Five linebackers are hurt, and defensive lineman Dom Orange and starting safety Malik Verdon weren’t available for most of Saturday's game.

Will Heacock have enough healthy ammunition to get it fixed and salvage the season?

The Cyclones have the look of a team that peaked too early. There’s still time to correct things, and they’re not out of the Big 12 championship race – though they’ll need help. 

But it’s been a surprising fall from grace for a program that seemed to be firing on all cylinders as much as it had ever been under head coach Matt Campbell just a couple of weeks ago.

Oklahoma State’s Bowl Streak Dies

What more can be said about Oklahoma State’s season at this point? 

OSU head coach Mike Gundy should send a Christmas card to Florida State head coach Mike Norvell. Norvell’s Seminoles might be the only more significant disappointment in the country this year.  

The latest Cowboy setback was a 38-13 loss to middling TCU, in which the Horned Frogs scored on six of their first seven possessions. They didn’t punt until midway through the fourth quarter. 

It officially put the nail in the coffin of Oklahoma State’s bowl streak. The Pokes have the dubious honor of becoming the first OSU team since 2005 to miss a bowl game and have a losing season. 

Gundy is losing games and calling out fans who dissent. Read the replies to any tweet showing a Gundy press conference clip. 

The natives are beyond restless, and rightfully so. I’m not exactly sure where Oklahoma State will go from here, but it will be fascinating to watch unfold.

The Ugly

Whining About Officiating

I’ve already covered Utah AD Mark Harlan’s tirade, which went deeper than just complaining about a call. 

But if we’re going to dissect the call itself, it seems obvious to me that the defender met the minimum threshold for a holding penalty to be called. It was much more of a misdemeanor than a felony. That doesn’t mean it was crazy to call it, though. 

Three-time Super Bowl referee Terry McAuly even labeled it an “obvious foul” that “has always been a foul.”

I’d suggest Utah fans, coaches, and administrators (crazy that I had to list all three, but here we are) spend more time lamenting not scoring a single point in the second half or allowing a kickoff return touchdown than a 50/50 call at best that didn’t go their way. 

Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire also used part of his time on the podium to call out the officials in the Texas Tech-Colorado game.

While the crew was busy overturning a targeting call in the second half, replay showed a blatant missed facemask that should have extended a Tech drive. 

This third-and-long hit on Shedeur Sanders was also called roughing the passer. 

That’s only the tip of the iceberg for McGuire. He mentioned at least five no-calls that he’ll send to the league. 

I understand some of the frustration, but McGuire has now spent two of the last three weeks worrying about officiating and teams intercepting Tech’s helmet communications. Wouldn’t that energy be better spent correcting offensive lulls and game management issues?

The officials are not the reason the Red Raiders lost that game. They had ample opportunity to bury Colorado early, and they didn’t. I’d look in the mirror before getting sidetracked by the black and white stripes.

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