USC beats Utah 23-14.
It was an (apparently) meaningless touchdown that was at first nullified and then hours after the stadium was emptied, put back on the books. For Utah either way it still meant a loss in their inaugural Pac 12 game...for Vegas, it was one of the most important plays/non-plays of the early season.
With just seconds to go in the Saturday night contest and USC -- an 8.5 point favorite -- leading 17-14, Utah kicker Coleman Peterson lined up for a 41-yard field goal attempt that would send the game into overtime.
Then all hell broke loose.
The score from the blocked kick was originally disallowed when USC players poured on to the field in celebration, leaving the final score USC 17-14. Two hours later, the Pac 12 issued a reversal, stating that the touchdown should have counted and so the final score reverted to 23-14 USC -- and the Trojans cover the spread. The penalty stemmed from a new NCAA rule allowing for points to be taken off the board for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that happens before the points are actually scored.
However, Pac 12 officials decided that this unsportsmanlike conduct penalty was a dead ball foul, and since the game was over, it could not be enforced.
Pac-12 Officiating Consultant Mike Pereira said: "The new Unsportsmanlike Conduct rule states that Unsportsmanlike Conduct fouls by players are administered as either live ball or dead ball fouls depending on when they occur. The rule does not apply to substitutes. All Unsportsmanlike Conduct fouls by substitutes are enforced as dead ball fouls. Since the game was over, the penalty could not be enforced and the referee stated it was declined by rule. The officials did rule it a touchdown making the final score 23-14."
Since the ruling happened hours after the game officially ended, those holding Utah tickets in Vegas collected on their bets. Sports books decided to follow their own "House Rules." For some, that meant paying off both sides, if the USC bettors had held on to their betting slips. Others said they do not recognize overturned scores once the game is over. It is estimated that that the game generated from $50,000 to $100,000 in bets at each of the major sports books in Nevada.