Controversial CFP Call Deemed the 'Worst' in College Football

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Cami Griffin | Last updated Feb 18, 2025 7:00 PM ET

One of the most discussed moments of the 2024 college football season took place in the quarterfinal of the College Football Playoff.

No. 5 Texas scraped by No. 4 Arizona State in a double-overtime thriller, 39-31, but many believe one poor officiating call was a major deciding factor in the outcome. With only a minute left in the fourth quarter and the score tied 24-24, Texas safety Michael Taaffe appeared to target Arizona State wide receiver Melquan Stovall with a helmet-to-helmet hit.

Had the Longhorns been called for targeting, it would have placed the Sun Devils inside the 40-yard line with a chance to end the game on a field goal. However, Texas was never flagged and Arizona State opted to punt on 4th-and-5 from midfield.

This was not called targeting on Texas. Despite the head to head contact made. pic.twitter.com/WOoKcMVYY3
— Rate the Refs (@Rate_the_Refs) January 1, 2025

The no-targeting call quickly went viral on social media and even NFL referee Gene Steratore chimed in. "Yes, this should have been a flag for targeting in Texas vs. Arizona State. It meets all of the criteria of targeting (Rule 9-1-4)," Steratore said.

The call is still being discussed to this day. On3 Sports recently polled hundreds of college football fans and generated a ranking of the worst officiating calls of the 2024 season. To no surprise, the targeting no-call by Texas took the top spot.

The Longhorns were also involved in the third-worst call of the season when officials flagged Jahdae Barron for pass-interference against Georgia. Texas fans threw water bottles and trash onto the field and the call was ultimately overturned.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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