College Football: Are Ya Kidding? The 10 Worst Play Calls of the Season

It's easy to remember the exciting, game-changing plays in college football.

As fans, we cherish those jaw-dropping moments when it's our team.

Of course, there are also those times when the fans look at each other and say, "What the heck was that play?"

OK, maybe that's a cleaned-up version of that conversation.

So what are the most boneheaded play calls of 2011?

Let's take a look.

Oklahoma: Brennan Clay Third-Down Run vs. Texas Tech

It's still hard to fathom how Oklahoma blew a home game to lowly Texas Tech, but it happened.

The Red Raiders scored at will, and the Sooners couldn't do much to stop it.

But we all expected OU to make a comeback, and it did.

However, Oklahoma had a 3rd-and-2 around midfield in the final quarter. Bob Stoops called on third-string tailback Brennan Clay to get the first down.

Not a great call, considering the Sooners have struggled with running in short-yardage situations. The play was blown up in the backfield and basically ended Oklahoma's shot at a comeback.

Alabama: Every Call in OT vs. LSU

There were a few calls in regulation that were questionable, but look at this string of plays in overtime:

First down: A.J. McCarron incomplete pass to Trent Richardson.

Second down: Alabama five-yard substitution penalty.

Second down: A.J. McCarron incomplete pass to Trent Richardson.

Third down: A.J. McCarron sacked for five-yard loss.

Fourth down: Cade Foster missed 52-yard field goal.

Sorry, but that's an ugly stretch of plays.

West Virginia: Swing Pass Before Halftime vs. LSU

Trailing 20-7 to LSU with 37 seconds left in the first half, West Virginia should have run out the clock and regrouped at halftime.

Instead, Dana Holgorsen called a swing pass on third down...bad call.

Geno Smith's pass was tipped and intercepted by Tyrann Mathieu and returned to the 1-yard line.

LSU answered with a one-yard touchdown pass from Jarrett Lee to Chase Clement that gave the Tigers a 27-7 lead.

USC: Matt Barkley's Pass to Robert Woods vs. Stanford

With nine seconds left in regulation, USC hoped to complete a pass and get a shot at a long field goal to beat Stanford.

Coming out of a timeout, Lane Kiffin should have told (or did tell) his players to get down and call a timeout.

Instead, Matt Barkley hit Robert Woods on a short route over the middle, and Woods tried to race to the sidelines to stop the clock.

Instead, his knee went down just before he went out of bounds, the clock ran out and USC lost in overtime.

Ohio State: Every Pass Play vs. Miami

You can blame Ohio State coach Luke Fickell all you want, but there's not much he can do when his quarterbacks can't complete a pass.

In a 24-6 loss to Miami, Joe Bauserman and Braxton Miller teamed up to complete four of 18 passes for a total of 35 measly yards.

How can a Division I program have such an abysmal passing game?

Michigan: Three Yards to Go vs. Iowa

Trailing 24-16, Michigan drove down to Iowa's 3-yard line with 16 seconds to play.

With a talent like Denard Robinson, what did Brady Hoke choose to do? He asked Robinson to throw for the score.

Robinson responded with four consecutive incomplete passes and didn't even get a shot at the tying two-point conversion.

Baylor: Receiver Pass to Robert Griffin III vs. TCU

A program like Baylor must protect its franchise player.

So the season opener (and a non-conference game) is not really the best time to put him in harm's way if you can avoid it.

Baylor coach Art Briles didn't heed that warning, though.

Trailing 48-47 against TCU late in the fourth quarter, Baylor was facing a tough 3rd-and-10, so Baylor wanted to get the ball in Robert Griffin III's hands.

Griffin threw a lateral to a receiver and raced down the middle of the field, where Kendall Wright connected with him for a 15-yard gain. It kept the drive alive and led to the game-winning field goal.

Yes, it worked, but Griffin was crushed on the play and could have been hurt. Would that have been worth it?

No way. Briles got lucky.

Miami: Defense Not Accounting for Virginia Tech's Logan Thomas

Maybe Miami didn't have a choice, but when the Hurricane defense sold out to stop Virginia Tech on 4th-and-1, it cost Al Golden's team the game.

With 47 seconds to play, clinging to a 35-31 lead in Blacksburg, Miami needed to make a play.

Instead the defenders blitzed right by quarterback Logan Thomas, who raced 19 yards for the game-winning score.

The call was so bad that Thomas wasn't even touched.

Pittsburgh: Going for It on 4th-and-3 vs. Iowa

Pittsburgh was rolling Iowa in Iowa City.

Up 27-17 with about eight minutes to play, Todd Graham decided to go for it on 4th-and-3 from the Iowa 36.

Yes, it was too far for a field-goal attempt, but a punt would have been the better option. Pin the Hawkeyes back and make them drive the length of the field and eat up clock.

Instead, Pitt's Tino Sunseri threw another incomplete pass, and the Iowa comeback was ignited.

Rutgers: Fake Field Goal vs. West Virginia

In the first half, Rutgers' offense couldn't be stopped, as it scored 31 points against West Virginia.

Leading 31-28 in the third quarter, the Scarlet Knights drove to the West Virginia 11. Instead of kicking a 28-yard field goal on 4th-and-7, Rutgers coach Greg Schiano decided to fake it.

In fairness to Schiano, the play should have worked. Holder Pat Kivlehan had receiver Brandon Coleman open in the end zone, but Kivlehan's pass took too long to get to its target, and WVU's Darwin Cook rushed back and broke up the pass.

The Mountaineers responded, as Geno Smith guided WVU on an 89-yard touchdown drive. Rutgers never scored again.