Subscribe
Follow Us
The Arizona State Sun Devils lost the Peach Bowl to the Texas Longhorns on Wednesday. They fell 39-31 in double overtime after mounting a 16-point fourth-quarter comeback. The Sun Devils had a chance to take the lead in the fourth quarter but went three-and-out. But many thought Texas committed a targeting penalty that would have given Arizona State a first down. When the officials came back with no penalty, fans and pundits were surprised. Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark is now requesting an officiating review, per NBC Sports' Nicole Auerbach.
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark asks for a review of CFP officiating after the targeting call that wasn’t called on ASU’s final drive in regulation: pic.twitter.com/5HjeBhXoGV
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) January 2, 2025
“As a member of the College Football Playoff management committee, I have had multiple discussions seeking clarity surrounding the targeting call on Arizona State's final drive of the 4th quarter with Richard Clark,” Yormark told Auerbach. “Moving forward, we need to address CFP officiating to ensure national standards are developed.”
While Arizona State still had multiple chances to win the game, they were robbed of an opportunity in the eyes of Yormark. A targeting call there would have put them on the plus side of the 50 with over a minute to go. Texas marched down the field and had a game-winning field goal chance bang off the upright.
The Big 12 is out of the College Football Playoff but Yormark's request could have a lasting impact on the final four games of this year's bracket.
Arizona State puts a spotlight on CFP officiating
The Arizona State game was the best of the College Football Playoff so far. A few blowouts in the first round and a surprising dud from one-seed Oregon have left fans craving competitive games. The Notre Dame-Georgia game will finish the quarterfinal on Thursday after a one-day delay due to a tragic event in New Orleans. The NCAA should hope the officiating stays out of the headlines.
Officiating has been a problem in college football for a long time and it reared its ugly head on Wednesday. Arizona State had opportunities to win and blew them, so it did not matter too much. But if a call decides an important game, it will bring more heat onto the 12-team playoff.
With all three conference champions who got the bye losing so far, there have been criticisms of the 12-team playoff. The blowouts in Round 1 gave the teams momentum that rolled through the New Year's trio of games. If Notre Dame wins on Wednesday, there could be a lot of conversation about tweaking the format for Year 2.
