Joel Klatt calls for changes after Miami-Virginia Tech ends

No. 8 Miami survived quite a scare on Friday night in a game against Virginia Tech It came down to the very last move in regular time.

And at least one national analyst is questioning the system when it comes to administration.

Virginia Tech nearly clinched the victory in the final moments when it threw a Hail Mary into the end zone. First, a whole crowd of people came down right where the ball was. There was initially no call.

“I mean, can any of us really trust that Virginia Tech didn't catch that Hail Mary in the back of the end zone?” FOX Sports' Joel Klatt continued saying The Joel Klatt Show.

“Guys: First of all, I don't know how you signal a touchdown so late. People are celebrating. Is it a touchdown? And suddenly his arms go up as if no one can see him. Landing? Almost as if it were a question. I'm Ron Burgundy? So now it's a touchdown and they say, “Well, we have to check it.” Then they overturn Ron Burgundy's touchdown. And then it's like it's overruled. It's like wait, wait. How did these two calls come about? I think both are probably wrong. It's probably not a catch, but you can't reverse it when it's called that. I think it was all wrong and, by the way, it calls into question what I've been wondering about for a long time: why do we have conference officials and not national officials?”

The decision went in favor of Miami, who held on to win after an improbable back-and-forth in the closing moments. The Hurricanes' perfect season and their College Football Playoff chances remained intact.

Of course, Klatt pointed out that it was the ACC referees who made that decision and that it was an interesting point.

“Because it can at least bring up the element of a conflict of interest,” he explained. “And I'm not saying there's a conflict of interest here, but in a time when conferences are competing fiercely with each other for playoff spots, for revenue, for everything, everything. They are just very competitive with each other.

“And now all of a sudden your officials and your replay center are engaged in a conversation with the team that is your highest-ranked team. This is a conflict of interest. This is why we should change the way we appoint and manage officials in college football. It should be a national association in college football.”

Miami survived and won, but it's hard not to see the logic in Klatt's argument about officiating. It's a system that certainly raises some unwelcome questions.