This game should have gone to double overtime...
College Football/field goal attempt over top of goal post
Expert: Vic Winnek - 11/21/2011
Question
what determines when a field goal attempt is good when the ball goes directly over the top of the goal post. does a certain part have to be over and that makes it good or does all of the ball have to be clear of the post?
Answer
Jason Under NCAA rules for a Field Goal to be good, the ball must travel between the uprights and over the cross bar of the goal post. The key is "between" the uprights or the upright extended. Said another way: the ball must travel inside the upright, not over the upright or outside of it, but over the crossbar, between the uprights The Uprights. Therefore the entire ball must be between the uprights. To answer your question, all of the ball has to be clear of the post and inside the uprights [or between them].
When the kick is high and above the upright pole, the upward plane of the upright pole is extended straight up as if the pole itself was at that height. Therefore the ball must travel inside the upright and upright pole extended. This is different from the NFL rule. I believe the NFL rule requires part of the ball to travel on the inside edge off the upright. So under NCAA rules if the scrimmage kicked ball travels over the upright it is not a field goal, but under NFL rules it would be a field goal if part of the ball was inside the upright plane.