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College Football’s Top 10 Worst Blown Calls

69 Comments

The Jim Joyce-Armando Galarraga drama in June may not have taken place on the collegiate gridiron but it did get us to thinking about some of the worst on-field blown calls in NCAA football history based on how dreadful the call was and its importance. Oh yeah – we’ve ranked them.

10. Hawaii at Fresno State (October 4, 2008)

9. Alabama at LSU (November 7, 2009)

8. LSU at Georgia (October 3, 2009)

7. Oklahoma at Oregon (September 16, 2006)

6. Arkansas at Florida (October 17, 2009)

5. Texas at Oklahoma (October 13, 1984)

4. Michigan vs. USC (1979 Rose Bowl)

3. Miami (FL) at Notre Dame (October 15, 1988)

2. Cornell at Dartmouth (November 16, 1940)

1. Colorado at Missouri (October 6, 1990)

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8:52 PM on 6/4/2010
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  • Mike

    Surprised ’03 wasn’t on here, guess there really wasn’t any controversial call. The Ref saw PI and called it. Not sure what was blown? And guess what, Miami still could have stopped OSU there, or on OSU’s next possesion, or they then could have scored. They failed to stop OSU, failed to stop them again, and then failed to score.

    Also see the Chris Gamble catch.

  • Iceman

    I’m not a fan of either team, but how about Nebraska vs. Texas in the 2009 Big 12 Championship? According to the replay rules for the Big 12, you cannot solely review the game clock for accuracy. It can only be reviewed if the officials are reviewing another play. No review, no extra play for Texas, and no Big 12 Championship or chance to play for the National Cahmpionship for Texas. Nebraska was ROBBED.

  • jb

    Another Nebraska game – FSU vs. NU in ’93 orange bowl – the phantom clip was mentioned earlier, but also how about the FSU full back who fumbled the ball at about the 1 &1/2 line on his way into the endzone on a goal line play. The ball never sniffed the end zone, called a TD. Also every time Charlie Ward was hit they called a personal foul…. teribble game from the zebras. NU lost 18-16 and missed field goal with no time left.

  • Mike

    How in the devil is the Miami vs. Ohio State late, late, late pass interference call that wasn’t not on this list?

  • Rick

    All you Ohio St fans always making excuses about how Miami got their fair share of blown calls make me laugh. We are talking about one blown call that affected the outcome of the game, that would be the PI call in the end. Think about it if ohio st is so dominant as the buckeye fans say they are why is it that you only have one title in how many years??? Miami got that title stolen from them bottom line, just admit it there is nothing in ohio just ask Lebron

    • Ron

      We have 7 titles in our history. How many does Miami have??? It was the right call in this game and the better team won. Four times from the two yard line and Miami couldn’t get in. That tells it all….

  • bama3416

    Preston Gothard…….nuff said!!!

  • Still Rolling

    LSU fans whining…Keith Brown says “Hi.”

  • Not a Buckeye fan but….

    It amazes Me Ricky how people like yourself chooses what calls are blown at what crucial point in the ball game. You overlook the blown lack of holding calls when Gamble was wide open, and then actually caught the pass thrown to him by Krenzel when there was a little over 2 minutes left in the game. But that wasn’t a crucial point in the game now was it? OSU would have gotten the first down and run out the clock, but that wasn’t a crucial point in the game…..give me a break.

  • critter

    I’ll add one that’s not on the list of worst college football calls. 1982 Nebraska vs. Penn State. In the closing seconds of the game, with Nebraska leading and Penn State driving. A Penn State receiver catches a pass a full yard out of bounds that’s ruled complete. To add insult to injury, a few plays later a pass thrown into the end zone was trapped by the receiver but was ruled a touchdown. Two bad calls that came almost one after the other. The only game Nebraska lost that year.

    • Anonymous

      This has to be in teh TOP 10!!!! of ALL time!!!

  • Ref 17

    Where is the 1969 missed clipping call in the middle of the field during the Arkansas (ranked 2 or 3 depending on the poll)-Texas (ranked #1). Severe implications on a national winner. Arkansas was so blantanly screwed. I’ve heard that the ref that should have made the call stated ” he just couldn’t make that call against a texas team.” Whether or not the statement is true, this was one of the worst “no-calls” in NCAA history

  • FootballFan

    The worst call I’ve ever seen was the made field goal by UVA versus UNC a couple of years ago. The field goal was clearly good, but for some reason the official looked away at the last second, then signaled “no good” when he hadn’t even seen if the ball traveled through the uprights. Granted the play was overturned, but how in the hell do you miss something like that? The official there has one job, to see if the ball goes through. Instead, he wasn’t even looking. Gotta love those ACC “officials”.

  • tomkat

    K-State Nebraska. That facemask was the worst missed call i have ever seen. Not the most important, but the most obvious

  • Lholt

    The Miami-Ohio State national championship call was the worst call in the history of college football. Some of these games no one has ever heard of (and the 1940 contest, perhaps no one alive has ever seen), how many of these calls were of the magnitude of that one and seen by so many? Clearly the worst of them all, should have been atop this list, yet is not even mentioned. Shameful.

  • shane bo bain nyc

    nebraska all this season getting ripped by refs who DO NOT WANT US TO WIN BIG 12 OUR LAST YEAR CALLS ARE LAUGHABLE AND COMMENTATORS (sp) are just as bad great comments from people about nu in 82 getting hosed at penn state fsu in 93 no clip call and who can forget little whitey fords clip in the yale harvard game in 1912 lmao cost them absoulutely nothing excep donuts at church social the next day

  • fred

    out of your mind, miami vs ohio st is the worst call ever

  • Pass Interference

    http://tinyurl.com/29py3kj

    Now will “Da U” fans stop complaining about a decade-old call and maybe show up to games like real fans?

  • wildcard

    refs should just be thankfull that american fans are not like international soccer fans. cause if they were we would here many stories of dead cheaters. i just wish the ncaa committe would ban these refs who cheat. im tired of hearing excuses by the media biast and committe members always defending refs. there is no mistake calls. its cheating and thats it. these teams mentioned did get cheated. bottomline is, to me the media biast is responsible. miami, oklahoma, ohio st , nebraska, etc. have all been loved by the media at one time or another. but when the media iz against you and dont want you to win, here comes the cheatn. ive watched ncaa football so long its just a rerun to me when i see these bad calls. mostly i blame the media biast cause it is the media that influences the refs. and gambling to. what ever team you root for just hope in the big game the media isnt against you or your team will get screwd. and thats the cold hard fact.

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