College football season is here and not a second too soon

There was one collegiate football game that was talked about last weekend more than any other. Yes I am talking about the Western Michigan and Michigan game. A game between a Big Ten school and a MAC university that was not expected to be a close encounter… of any kind.Yet it was. I won't bother to give you the particulars at this point as you are by now very much aware of how it ended. I will give you some thoughts on the whole affair though. It's what I do.There are many sayings in sports that come to mind. "It's a game of inches" is a common phrase. "We just ran out of time" is another. And with a nod to Yogi "it ain't over til it's over" is one that certainly seems to apply to this particular football finish.As the game ended and the controversy began, I couldn't help but think of other sports where a miniscule amount of time or distance played a major role in the outcome. Auto racing first came to mind.I was at Indianapolis Motor Speedway when Al Unser, Jr. beat Scott Goodyear by less than a car length. At their speeds the difference was a few thousands of a second. 500 miles and it came down to "close but no cigar" for Goodyear. Spectacular finish and no controversy, so it was not quite the same as what took place in Ann Arbor.The sport of bowling came to mind. As a league bowler for over 40 years I saw a lot of close calls. Did you ever shoot at a single pin, hit it and then watch it wiggle but not fall? Yes there is some frustration, but it happens. Bad break, but no controversy.Staying with bowling, a baby split (the three-ten for example) can be converted by hitting the right side of the three pin and having the ball deflect into the 10 pin. It is possible however for the ball to go between the two pins without hitting either one. It may not look like it from the approach, but there is actually two full feet between the three and 10 pins. When a bowler pulls this off it is hilarious… at least for everyone else watching, even if its your own teammate!Then there is the new system of challenging ball and strike calls at the major league level. We all want to see umpires get every call right, but it's nearly impossible to do so.The system is interesting, but it is not going to solve all the problems. Human error will always be a factor in sporting events – from the players, to the coaches, to the officials.So why was the WMU and UM game so controversial? As you undoubtedly know by now, the Broncos led 12-7 with less than 10 seconds left in the game. Michigan tried a Hail Mary pass that went out of the end zone as time was expiring. The TV coverage showed no time left – but wait. The referee went under the hood and decided that one second was left on the clock when the ball seemed to be first touched (by a defender who was out of bounds at the time and that is when the clock is supposed to stop).The TV coverage showed one thing, the official ruled otherwise. Of course Michigan would score on another Hail Mary attempt to win the game 13-12. And then the fireworks (so to speak) began! Western Michigan was robbed had to be the most common quote. The game was rigged was another popular one.So what do I make of this whole situation? Well, I have some random thoughts.How many WMU fans woke up Saturday morning and thought the Broncos would likely upset the Wolverines in the Big House?How many Michigan fans woke up Saturday morning thinking the game would be extremely close and hoped they would not be upset?How many U of M students woke up on Saturday morning and fully expected to be storming the field later that evening celebrating a Wolverine victory?The answer to each question is likely ZERO, but that is exactly what happened, so again here is my take.Did Western Michigan get robbed? Perhaps, but they are not the first team to have something similar to this take place. Remember the fifth down that allowed a team to score the winning TD several years ago? This won't be the last time a team gets jobbed if indeed that is what happened.The University of Michigan is NOT at fault. The procedures followed – right or wrong – was the responsibility of the Big Ten not the U of M. So despite the problems of the past few years, I would give the Wolverines a pass. Perhaps that is a bad choice of words!You cannot change the outcome of the game in my mind. This would be a slippery slope no one wants to go down.Was this a bad look for college football? Oh you bet. The NCAA has decided to use the TV feed for future clock situations which is what the NFL has done for years. Will this solve all the problems? Of course not. The next controversy is just around the corner.After all the game is played, coached and officiated by human beings. Mistakes will always be made.One final thought. Had Michigan not been granted the extra second, would this game still have been the most talked about game of the weekend? Well, yes. It would be one of the biggest upsets in college football history, albeit with a lot less controversy.