.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
There's good news for Oklahoma State after being robbed by the refs vs. Central Michigan
Oklahoma State won Saturday’s game against Central Michigan.
Not in some moral sense — I mean literally. There’s no room for interpretation: The only reason Central Michigan had a chance to make the play that "won" the contest was because the officials incorrectly granted it an untimed possession. If that mistake isn’t made, Oklahoma State wins. It’s pretty cut and dry.
Unfortunately, the rules state that only the referee can declare the game over — not the clock or a league office after the fact. So the incorrect decision will stand, and so will Central Michigan’s “win.”
What does it mean for Oklahoma State? Nothing besides some short-term heartbreak.
The “loss” has no effect on Oklahoma State’s chances to win the Big 12 this season, and while it will probably cause the Cowboys drop out of the AP Top 25 this week, they were probably going to do that anyway after playing CMU so close.
And here’s the really good news: This "loss" shouldn’t affect Oklahoma State’s College Football Playoff chances.
If we still lived in the BCS era, the Pokes would have a big problem. A computer can’t make subjective calls and Oklahoma State would be handicapped by the loss. But the College Football Playoff field is selected by a committee — of human beings, not computers — and they know that Oklahoma State won Saturday’s game.
So if the Cowboys go on a run and win the Big 12 conference this season, they can rest assured that the selection committee won’t knock them for a game they didn’t actually lose.
At worst, it’s a not-so-great win — the same kind that Clemson and Georgia squeezed out Saturday.
The same truth applies to big-time bowl games — those matchups are picked by human beings as well.
So while the sting of getting sideswiped by referees at the end of the game hurts now, it shouldn’t hurt the Pokes down the line.
