At least we can't blame this one on the SEC. That's the only real comfort today after one of the worst rules in NCAA finally had the effect we all worried about -- LSU called a brilliant fake punt, it went for a score, and then it got called back. Why?
You can't even really call out the officials on this one. Unlike the phantom A.J. Green penalty a couple of years ago, this was an example of a pretty clear celebration. Not really a flagrant one, mind you -- the punter merely spread his arms out a bit. But it's still nothing egregious enough to call back a touchdown and take points of the board. It's nothing but dead wrong.
You can tell me the coaches support it, or that it's meant to emphasize the team spirit of college football or any number of things in defense of this rule. I don't care. We are asking college kids to be automatons in the biggest games of their lives, and we are gradually killing the very heart of what makes this game great. And while I have plenty of reasons that I can speculate as to why this has become an issue now, I can't think of any good reason to continue enforcing the rule.
Maybe the NCAA should take a moment to remember that the game is about the guys on the field, not them. But the fact that this rule was ever approved pretty much shows that the supposed adults running the organizations are far too narcissistic to realize that their opinions and interests aren't the only ones that matter.