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There’s finally been some on-the-field excitement in college football this season.
In case you missed the anomaly, a man posing as a whistle-blowing referee ran onto the field Thursday night during the nationally televised UCLA-Arizona game, then sprinted away and stripped to his underwear before being tackled by security.
Unrelated to the incident, UCLA and Arizona players got into a bench-clearing brawl during the game’s stoppage, and one player from each squad was ejected.
Of course, the entire bizarre scene has gone viral on YouTube and is the talk of college football fans. Apparently, the fake referee’s actions were inspired by a drunken bet, and the fight started after a UCLA player threw a punch.
Nonetheless, the bizarre scene just might be the most exciting moment so far of an otherwise dreadfully boring college football season that has already passed the halfway point.
As of this week, the first eight teams in the initial BCS rankings are undefeated and combined they had played just two games decided by a touchdown or less this season. Those same teams have combined to win more than half of their games by four touchdowns or more.
Thankfully, college football’s monotony is guaranteed to finally crumble by default Nov. 5 when top-ranked LSU visits No. 2 Alabama in a showdown so hyped that some SEC fans believe it might reveal the secret to life. There’s also hope Nov. 12 when No. 8 Stanford hosts No. 10 Oregon and possibly Dec. 3 when No. 3 Oklahoma plays at No. 4 Oklahoma State.
But in terms of college football’s star power, it’s not much better. Few nationally have seen Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, the runner-up for last year’s Heisman Trophy, play on television this season because of his team’s soft-serve early schedule.
You won’t see Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore, who was fourth in last year’s Heisman voting, play on major television again the rest of the regular season.
College football also lacks new stars who usually burst on the scene, as former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton did last season en route to winning the national championship and Heisman Trophy.
The top contenders for the award this season are familiar names nationally, except perhaps for Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson, an ACC standout before he left North Carolina State this summer.
But while college football fans crave excitement on the field, that’s not what matters most these days anyway. It’s all about the off-the-field issues — seemingly never-ending conference realignment talk, incessant player suspensions and countless NCAA investigations.
Such soap opera drama drives college football. For years, on-the-field efforts covered for off-the-field flaws.
But not this season, one that has lacked stunning upsets, thrilling last-second heroics and unforgettable Heisman moments.
No wonder college football fans are buzzing about a man who ran around in his underwear and a bench-clearing brawl during a lopsided game between two medicore teams.
It’s just the first time they saw something on the field this college football season that wasn’t boring.
