by Don Borst, Special to FOXSports.com

Lesser referees might have allowed the horrible actions on the part of Washington quarterback Jake Locker to ruin the game that we all prefer to witness on Saturdays in these United States of America.

If not for these manful men in stripes patrolling the field Saturday in Seattle, we might have lost control of this game ... this sport ... this way of life. Or something.

Here's what happened at the end of the game between Washington and No. 15 BYU: On the last play, Locker scampered into the end zone to score the apparent game-tying touchdown. This for a team that has lost not only 11 of its last 13 games, but its last 19 games against opponents ranked 20th or higher. And as he leaped to his feet, Locker tossed the ball into the air. Straight up, a "whoopee!" flip as he turned to be mobbed by his teammates in the end zone — certainly the best moment in venerable Husky Stadium in five years.

Except that Locker's actions showed far too much college spirit. Or something.

Mostly, it was too much of a display of happiness on his part. Hey, the youngster has the right to be as happy as he feels — not even the NCAA and Pac-10 game officials can control that. Yet, in college football it is not his right to express that joy in such a visual manner. It is, after all, an NCAA point of emphasis to reduce poor sportsmanship.

And we all know that tossing the ball up in the air so that it comes down and lands on your own head while your teammates are congratulating you is the latest version of the throat-slash gesture. It's akin to pretending to shoot your opponents with an invisible machine gun. Or staring into the TV camera and saying, "Your mama blankety-blankety-blank blanks in blank." Or something.

But referee Larry Farina was able to nip that nuevo-taunt right in the bud.

What's more, Locker's smile was clearly too wide. His teammates were congratulating him by pounding on his shoulder pads and helmet with so much force it was obviously beyond the bounds of good sportsmanship. And although none of his teammates left the sideline, they were yelling far too loudly. Any and all of those things could have been flagged under Rule 9, Section 2, Article 1 of the NCAA Football Rulebook — "There shall be no unsportsmanlike conduct or any act that interferes with orderly game administration ..."

Fortunately for the good of the game, "throwing the ball high into the air" is spelled out nice and clear in Rule 9, Section 2, Article 1, Part B, Prohibited Act 2-A, and Farina insisted after the game that this wasn't even a judgment call. That he was bound by rule to throw the flag that would turn Washington's extra point into a 35-yard field goal (which was blocked).

This is exactly what the NCAA and all right-thinkers are hoping for this great sport, a laudable effort to remove some of this misplaced passion from the players. If the kids want so much to cheer and celebrate, they should go out for the cheerleading squad. Or something.

And this was the chance for all referees to stand tall and send a message to players: "Who do you think you are? We will not put up with this kind of behavior." Most referees, of course, would shrink from such a responsibility, and instead give players (and coaches) the kind of leeway that makes them think that their performance is what college football is all about. But to Farina, this is our game, and if we allow players to show this much spirit at any time, who knows what could happen next?

It's a slippery slope, of course. And that's why our man and his crew had to draw the line right there. Somebody had to show these young men and all others like them that a football stadium is no place for such overt spirit. Basically, if you can't conceal your joy any better than that, we'll help you. We can make sure you won't feel so happy for a while. You'll learn. Eventually.

This "reduced on-field spirit rule" is being emphasized in such a mature, reasonable manner this season that we might never have to worry about this topic ever again. And more of this punitive action by our game officials can enable these young men to learn to eliminate such exuberance.

Next, perhaps we can offer points on the scoreboard for best poker faces. Or something.

So, what else did Saturday teach us?

Unfortunately, part of the fallout from our "no spirit" being enforced to this meaningful degree is that it kicked in on Locker and the Huskies just in time to help get Tyrone Willingham fired. OK, so Willingham's dismissal as Washington coach has yet to be announced, and it might not officially come until the end of the season. But the 28-27 defeat Saturday means an 0-2 start for his Huskies — with the schedule they have lined up (Oklahoma visits Saturday) — has ensured that UW will have a new coach next season.

Just in case the Huskies hadn't shown enough ways to lose in 27 of their 38 games under Willingham, they found an almost unbelievable method this time ... having that penalty called with 2 seconds remaining, and then being forced to attempt a 35-yard field goal for the all-important tying extra point. BYU's Jan Jorgensen blocked it, and that was that. Despite the penalty, a team worthy of victory and overtime needs to score that extra point.

But that wouldn't have fit with the Huskies' pattern lately.

The penalty against Locker overshadowed an outstanding accomplishment for the Cougars — their nation-best 12th consecutive victory, which should put a BCS bowl on the line for their Nov. 22 game at Utah.

Another team that has positioned itself for BCS-crashing is East Carolina. Back-to-back wins over ranked teams — the defending champions of the ACC and Big East, no less — have the Pirates in great shape and certainly worthy of Top 10 consideration. A glance at the schedule suggests that Skip Holtz's team will be favored in every one of its remaining 10 games ... although you can ask Virginia Tech and West Virginia what good it does a team to be favored.

The way Ohio State trailed going into the fourth quarter, its performance against Ohio did anything but build confidence heading into Saturday's big game at Southern California. Running back Beanie Wells didn't play because of his foot injury, and quarterback Terrelle Pryor didn't play much because ... well, because coach Jim Tressel opted not to put the freshman into a pressure situation against the Bobcats. That being the case, it doesn't seem likely he'll throw Pryor into the fire of the L.A. Coliseum. Perhaps, however, the Trojans will be overconfident, since they had Saturday off and had the chance to watch OSU's weak offensive effort.

There is no truth to the internet-fueled rumor that Farina was on the ill-fated Oregon-Oklahoma game crew in 2006, when a preposterous succession of bad calls put the Ducks in position to win, and OU coach Bob Stoops gained a monumental soapbox. The Pac-10 office, though, has had to issue interpretations and apologies for bad calls with startling regularity — to the point that referees like Farina apparently are so concerned with being held accountable for making bad calls, they are afraid to use their own judgment when it is required.

Stoops said a few days later he might pull his team out of future trips to Pac-10 schools (such as this week's game at Washington) because of the lousy officiating. At least Saturday's incident indicates that Pac-10 refs are not "homers" ... they're simply not very good.

This isn't how the polls work, but based on performance on the field so far, the Top 10 probably should include (in roughly this order): USC, Georgia, Florida, Missouri, East Carolina, LSU, Oklahoma, California, Penn State, and Alabama.

No, I don't have anything against Ohio State, Auburn, Wisconsin, Arizona State — or Texas, for that matter — but they need to play at least one high-quality opponent or give ample evidence that they might actually be a juggernaut to warrant a Top 10 ranking at this point. For the Buckeyes and Badgers, that starts this week with games at USC and Fresno State. Next week, Auburn faces LSU and Arizona State takes on Georgia. Texas, for all intents and purposes, gets to keep fine-tuning for a month leading to the Oct. 11 showdown with Oklahoma.

Arkansas has been forced to rally to edge Western Illinois and Louisiana-Monroe, but the bullet-dodging days are over for Bob Petrino and the Hogs. They start a four-game stretch this week against Texas, Alabama, Florida and Auburn.

Finally, this week offers much more than the collection of potential shockers that we have started the season with. Five games pit teams ranked in last week's Top 25, and there are several other excellent matchups that will bear watching:

• Ohio State at USC
• Kansas at South Florida
• Wisconsin at Fresno State
• UCLA at Brigham Young
• Oregon at Purdue
• Georgia at South Carolina
• California at Maryland
• Arkansas at Texas
• Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech
• Iowa State at Iowa
• And ... yes, Michigan at Notre Dame.