Big 12 rules Notre Dame should have been allowed to play another game after officiating error in loss to BYU

While most of America was wondering whether pass interference should have been called against BYU late in the No. 8 Cougars’ 28-24 victory over No. 2 Notre Dame on Saturday, another college football official’s gaffe was hiding in plain sight if anyone took the time to look.

The Irish needed a touchdown on the final play of the game to defeat the Cougars, but CJ Carr’s heave to Jade Greathouse fell to the turf in the end zone as officials signaled the end of the game after a brief discussion and BYU fans stormed the field at Lavell Edwards Stadium.

But the party may have started prematurely since the Big 12 admitted a refereeing error: it should have remained :01 on the clock.

According to a Big 12 statement released early Sunday morning, Notre Dame should have had the opportunity to play another game after the game, if not prematurely.

“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 improperly cleared by the replay officiating team. The Conference will conduct a full review of its end-of-game officiating process prior to next week’s games.”

Add it to the pile of clock gaffes in football in the 2026 season. In week one, Michigan had an extra second to complete a Hail Mary, which they did, to rip Western Michigan’s heart out and momentarily save face from an embarrassing moment. This is much more obvious, because there is no doubt that there was time left.

What’s unclear is how the College Football Playoff committee will take this into account when considering Notre Dame or BYU’s cases later this season on how they will attempt to set the field.