That is exactly what I am saying! We lost because of unfair officiating.That's precisely what Sybarite is saying. If you can participate in this thread and not see that, I'm not quite sure you are the best judge of officiating in the 1988 national championship game.
Let me rephrase that. We lost because of unfair and biased officiating perpetrated by officials who apparently got caught up in the hometown crowd.
For that, I prefer to cheer for the Taliban.