Funny how a weekend of college football that had so many pundits bummed out and asking for more instead generated a lot of discussion. It only begins with the rise of ECU, the fall of WVU, the scare for Ohio State, the sadness of Notre Dame, the re-up at the U, and, of course, celebrations.

Kids go wild at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Players go … mild at Washington.  The same problem couldn’t have generated more different reactions.

WVU coach Bill Stewart revealed that Skip Holtz had called and apologized for the actions of his fans after the game. Stewart appreciated the call but admitted, “I didn’t see anything that bad. All I saw was a bunch of happy college kids. That’s what you’re supposed to do when you win — celebrate.”

And, if students can celebrate, why can’t players?

That brings us to Part II of our discussion of celebrations. Perhaps you witnessed what happened in the closing seconds of BYU’s 28-27 victory over Washington, how Washington’s Jake Locker scrambled for a touchdown and how his team should have tied the game.

Exuberant, Locker threw both arms into the air, the ball flying upward, then jumped into his teammates arms. He had brought his team to within an extra point of tying, which is reason to celebrate.

However, officials this year have tightened the celebration rule and threw a flag for “excessive celebration.”

Can you really have an “excessive celebration” in such a situation?

Apparently so, because the extra point, moved back 15 yards, was blocked and BYU won.

Were the officials right or wrong.

By the book, they were right.

“After scoring the touchdown, the player threw the ball into the air and we are required, by rule, to assess a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. It is a celebration rule that we are required to call. It was not a judgment call,” said Pac-10 official Larry Farina.

Randy Edsall, the Connecticut coach and a member of the rules committee, agrees wholeheartedly with that.

“I saw all that and I don’t know why everybody got upset,” Edsall said on Monday’s Big East coaches conference call. “It’s a rule. You can’t do that. It’s specifically stated in the rulebook that you can’t throw the ball up. Do you feel bad for the kid? Yeah you do, but it’s part of the rule.

“I try to tell my team, when you score, just hand the ball to the nearest official. That’s all you’re supposed to do. We want the officials to enforce the rules. Well, the rule’s right there in the rulebook.”

Right. They were just following orders … and where have you heard that before?

Stewart again disagrees.

“It’s a game,” he said. “Let the guys play.”

Stewart understands you have to draw the rule somewhere. He doesn’t want to see guys dancing, pulling out pens and signing autographs, putting on capes in the end zone … but as he said, “It’s a game.”

“Poor kid,” said Stewart. “That’s sad.”