This has got to be the final post on the Oregon game because we seriously have to move on. Feel free to post your comments but don't expect any responses from the Machine because like I said we are moving on.
Looking at our comments there are really two camps on this issue. Camp A says the Sooners got hosed and the bad call cost them the game. Camp B says quit whining about the call and play better football if you want to win.
At some point there has to be a voice of reason. Here are the facts of the situation and about some of our posters here at the Machine.
* Replay official Gordon Riese made a huge mistake on the kick-off by not overturning a totally ridiculous call from the field. Had the correct call been made there the pass interference call, the final Oregon touchdown and the blocked field goal don't matter because the game is over. All Paul Thompson would have to do is take a knee twice.
* Sure the Oklahoma defense was bad on Saturday but they did play good enough to win. Anyone who has played competitive sports at a high level understands the distractions that would be there when your team is interfered with, recovered the ball and the other team illegally touches the ball all on the same play only to have every official in the stadium not see it.
* If you don't think this call cost Oklahoma the game you are blinded by something. The Pac-10 disagrees with you and just about every major media outlet as well. Unlike the Miami/Ohio State Fiesta Bowl game and unlike the Oklahoma/Texas Tech game last season not a single person who has an ounce of football knowledge has looked at that play and said the right call was made. In fact, for the first time in the history of college football a major conference has announced that an official's mistake cost a team the game and suspended the officials for their negligence.
* Gordon Riese admitted that he made the wrong call and is now asking for a leave of absence for the rest of the season because he is so distraught over it.
* R.D. Baker who has been the most critical towards Oklahoma on this site actually has his own blog called The Cheap Seats. He is an avid Texas Tech, the team that had to cheat last season to beat Oklahoma, and appears to be a Sooner hater. He votes in the BlogPoll and this week moved Oregon up while dropping Oklahoma out of his Top 25 where he had them at 15 last week.
No wonder he has been standing up for Oregon. His team has benefited from bogus officiating against Oklahoma as well.