When the Miami Hurricanes take the field against the Indiana Hoosiers for Monday’s national championship game, they’ll be without defensive back Xavier Lucas for the first half.
Lucas was ejected from the College Football Playoff semifinal in the Fiesta Bowl after a controversial targeting call in the fourth quarter against Ole Miss wide receiver Cayden Lee. By rule, Lucas must miss the first half of the next game, which just so happens to be the one to determine college football’s national champion.
Former ESPN college football analyst David Pollack thinks this is “bullcrap.”
“I’m trying to get that targeting reversed, like that is such bullcrap,” Pollack said on See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack. “We’re gonna go watch a national championship game, and a guy’s gonna sit out a half of the national championship. And because it was a horse crap call — It’s a terrible call. Like, the NCAA does nothing right. It’d be a great chance to step in and fix something.”
Lucas’s hit on Lee was reviewed, and the call stood, forcing him to leave the semifinal with 8:54 left in regulation and the outcome very much in doubt. ESPN rules analyst Bill LeMonnier (who had all kinds of issues that night) said that Lucas launched toward Lee, whom he considered a defenseless player, as he was hit. However, many disagreed with the call.
It’s not being talked about enough how ridiculous it is that Xavier Lucas has to sit out the first half of the title game because he tried to tackle the lower body of a receiver being led into him by his QB as the WR twisted his body down into his helmet.pic.twitter.com/oT3F5l3lnr
— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) January 16, 2026
Pollack added that one solution he thinks could work in lieu of forcing a player to miss critical gametime would be to fine them, a new wrinkle made possible by the NIL era.
“The rule sucks (and it) needs to be addressed,” Pollack added. “In the end, if you don’t want to handle this and you don’t want to take this rule on, fine, don’t take it on. Fine the freaking kids. Just like the NFL, freaking fine them. Like, if you don’t want to do the targeting one, targeting two, replay, fine the freaking kids, take their money. You want to change things, you take people’s money. That’s the fairest way to do it.”
Lucas has played in every Miami game this season, garnering 45 tackles, two tackles for a loss, one forced fumble, and one interception.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.