With Appeal, Toledo At Least Makes Their Point

No, Toledo probably isn't going to get their way when they respectfully requested that Syracuse's loss be vacated after a clear missed extra point was ruled good. I am not an arbiter on these situations but it's pretty difficult to go back in time and think that, had the score been 29-27, Syracuse's defense wouldn't perform differently knowing that a field goal would have been their undoing. The same goes with Toledo. The field goal was their fallback and they really wanted a touchdown. You can never quite tell which butterfly wing flap set everything else in motion.

But with any type of appeal like this, the goal is to get their voice heard. Yes, the controversy was shown on SportsGrid immediately after the game. SportsCenter showed the crucial highlight and Big East officials did fall on their swords regarding the play.

What does astonish me was that referee Tracy Jones looked at a sideline view of the extra point and not the reverse endzone view. Who films the extra point from anywhere but a straight-on view? A lot of questions still remain with a process designed to correct close calls through the use of clear-cut technology. Something else has to happen other than the Big East shrugging their shoulders and saying "our bad."

It doesn't sound like the fault is on Jones because apparently what he saw wasn't conclusive. I wish we could see that particular angle, but either the goalpost disappears or it doesn't. When ESPN shows the endzone view and the ref sees something else, there's a disconnect to be had.

It's been a rough season for the MAC favorites. They start off 1-3 with difficult games against Ohio State, Boise State and now Syracuse. They're beleaguered with injuries: Adonis Thomas broke his arm and Desmond Marrow suffered a concussion in the game. Taikwon Paige and Charles Rancifer also didn't suit up, and Dan Molls hasn't played since the opener. They also lost Mark Singer for the year and Isaiah Ballard was dismissed in the offseason. It just ain't going well for them, but the good news is their MAC record is 0-0. Even more bad news: they open MAC play with Temple next week.

UT athletic director Mark O'Brien was the one who initiated the appeal because "it's important we show our football team that we truly support them."  Well, point made. So let's not get too melancholy when the appeal is denied.

I liked Big East Coast Bias's theory that the Big East might possibly vacate the win out of spite for Syracuse trying to go to the ACC, but that would just spin off an even litigious chain lightning spiralling into gutter-level discourse and feelings being hurt. So let's cross our fingers that this happens.