The Big 12 admitted that officials made an error on the final play of BYU's win over Notre Dame on Saturday, with the conference ruling that one second should have remained on the clock for a final Fighting Irish play.
Trailing by four, Notre Dame drove down the field in the final minute to sit at BYU's 8-yard line with four seconds to play. A quick pass into the end zone went incomplete to set off a wild celebration in Provo. However, the play should have ended with one second on the clock, which would have allowed Notre Dame another shot at a game-winning touchdown.
BYU KNOCKS OFF NO. 2 NOTRE DAME IN A STUNNER 😳🐆 #CFB https://t.co/TGxT02Hiyr
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) October 18, 2026
One second left on the clock here as CJ Carr’s pass to Jaden Greathouse falls incomplete https://t.co/deVyoBl7LB
— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) October 18, 2026
"Following the Big 12's review of the final play of Saturday's Notre Dame-BYU game, it was determined that time remained on the clock when the ball hit the ground and the play was incorrectly cleared by the replay officiating crew," the Big 12 said in a statement obtained by Ralph Russo of The Athletic. "The Conference will conduct a complete review of its end-of-game officiating process in advance of next week's games."
The clock wasn't the only controversial piece of the game's final play, as the BYU defender was draped all over the Notre Dame receiver to break up the pass. However, no pass interference was called on the play.
The BYU finish is the latest in what has been a rough season across college football for officiating crews. The season kicked off with the controversial finish in the Michigan-Western Michigan contest, with officials putting one second back on the clock for the Wolverines to attempt a second Hail Mary. The ensuing play resulted in a miraculous completion for a game-winning touchdown for Michigan.
The NCAA FBS Oversight Committee eventually ruled that proper replay protocols were not followed in that contest, but reiterated it could not change the outcome of the game.
Last week, Oregon attempted a two-point conversion from just outside the one-yard line after a UCLA penalty gave the Ducks a second chance at the play. However, the penalty should have put Oregon at the half-yard line for the attempt. The Ducks eventually came up inches short of converting and lost by two points - 17-15 - to UCLA.
