A throwback do-over

 Know what's great about college football, other than the fact it's college football?

What's great about college football is it can, as Cher used to sing, turn back time. Both literally and figuratively.

And so come with us now to Saturday night, a mass o' humanity in the Big House in Ann Arbor, Mich., Bryce Underwood down there wallowing around as the clock leaned toward zeroes. He squares up. Heaves the football into the September night. Watches it sail to the back of the end zone as the clock not only leans toward but hits zeroes -- 0:00 -- before a Western Michigan player knocks it down.

Game over! Omigod! Western Michigan wins, 12-7!

Except ...

Except the game is not over.

Despite the zeroes on the clock, the officials say there's actually a smidge of a second hiding there somewhere because the Western Michigan player stepped beyond the backline before touching the football, automatically stopping the clock. So they put the ball down at the 47 again, Bryce Underwood took the snap and heaved the ball into the September night again, and THIS time it came down in the hands of Michigan receiver JJ Buchanan for an incredible Hail Mary six.

Game over! Again! Michigan wins, 13-12!

The fans storm the field, probably the first time in Big House history they stormed the field because the Wolverines barely beat a MAC school.  And Western Michigan ... well, Western Michigan done got Alexander Belov-ed.

Alexander Belov, for those who either don't know or don't remember, was the big Russian galoot who outmuscled two Americans for the basketball on a court-length pass and laid it in to give the Soviets the upset win in the 1972 Olympic gold medal game. 

This was after the clock had run out, and the officials said, nah, you're hearin' things, there's really still time left. So they put three seconds back on the clock. Then they did it a second time when the clock ran out again.

Given that second do-over, Belov done Belov-ed 'em. Game over (finally)! Omigod! Commies win!

So there we were again Saturday night, on the first big Saturday of college football, thrown back to 1972 again. Everyone was wearing pucca shells, plaid, cuffed bellbottoms and clogs. Everyone was listening to Black Sabbath and Elton John. JJ Buchanan was Alexander Belov, and Western Michigan coach Lance Taylor was U.S. basketball coach Hank Iba, wondering what the hell just happened.

I know what happened. Time travel happened. And college football.

Which used to feature glorious arguments about who's No. 1, and now will feature a glorious argument about whether or not Western Michigan got screwed or just homered by the Michigan zebras.

Headline in Ann Arbor today: Hail Mary! Michigan Wins, 13-12!

Headline in Kalamazoo: Phantom Second Beats Broncos, 13-12

Or, you know, something like that.