Targeting rule in college football is broken

The Internet is run by conspiracy theories, so here’s one from the fourth quarter of last night’s Fiesta Bowl: Miami defensive back Xavier Lucas was ejected after a controversial targeting call. The referee crew was from the Big Ten.

Why is that important? As you may recall, Lucas began his career on Wisconsin’s roster and entered the transfer portal in January, despite being under contract with the Badgers. Since then, Wisconsin has filed suit seeking financial damages, alleging that Miami’s actions were wrongful and detrimental to the contract Lucas entered into.

The Big Ten refs were in the bag for Wisconsin. Social media can run away with that one.

That’s not what happened, though. The reality? Targeting is broken in college football. Nobody knows what it is. The ruling is completely subjective, and the penalty is incredibly punitive — not only on the field but also for the player’s eligibility for the remainder of the game or even the first half of the following one. Because Lucas was flagged in the fourth quarter, he will miss the first half of the national title game.

Complaining about targeting isn’t new. Did the player launch? Was it helmet-to-helmet? Are there uniform rules around it? Do the refs get it wrong a lot? How is it a penalty to make a tackle and have accidental contact from playing hard? All of these talks have been hit harder than someone who was actually targeted.

But it became increasingly frustrating during the Fiesta Bowl because of an incident in the first half. Ole Miss safety Nick Cull was flagged for hitting Miami’s Malachi Toney on what seemed like a clear targeting foul. During the broadcast, ESPN brought on rules expert Bill LeMonnier to discuss the potential foul during the review.

“Definitely a defenseless player,” LeMonnier said during the broadcast. “Strong hit to the head, neck area. This shouldn’t take long.”

ESPN rules analyst Bill Lemonnier, supporting a targeting call: "Definitely defenseless player. Strong hit to the head/neck area. This shouldn't take long."

After review, there was no targeting.

Lemonnier then explained why the refs reached that conclusion. 🏈🦓🎙️ #CFP pic.twitter.com/VkkNSwgCji

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 9, 2026

Guess what? Call was overturned. LeMonnier weighed in on the decision.

“They also have to have an indicator in there,” LeMonnier said. “You know a launch, a thrust or that type of thing. And running straight into him, they deemed that it was not targeting.”

Got it.

Nobody knows what the heck they’re looking at. Fans don’t. Coaches don’t. Rules experts don’t. And, honestly, it feels like the referees don’t, either. It’s highly subjective, and nobody is certain about the criteria used to decide whether it’s a penalty. Also, there is a clear and obvious line between an accidental football play and a dirty hit delivered with malicious intent.

You have to understand why the rule exists — to protect players’ safety, which is of ultimate importance. The reason the penalty for committing the foul is so harsh is to try to encourage players to play safely and keep their heads up.

But we have to get to a place where everyone knows what they are looking at. And if we can’t do that, we also can’t take away games from players.

Instead, Lucas — who was just trying to make a play in a College Football semifinal — now has everything he’s worked for in his life partially stripped as he sits on the bench for a half while the Miami plays in its first national title game in more than 20 years.

It’s just wrong. It’s broken.