College football’s rivalry week is always an intense spectacle, but this year’s edition escalated with a string of flag-planting incidents that ignited debates across the sport.
Road teams, including Michigan, NC State, and Florida, celebrated victories by planting their flags on their rivals’ fields – actions that stirred emotions on and off the turf.
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman was among those critical of the trend, calling for more sportsmanship and emphasizing team unity during post-game celebrations.
“I’m not going to tell another coach how to run their program, but for us, let’s get our butts in the locker room and celebrate team glory together,” Freeman said on the Outta Pocket Podcast.
“Don’t take a flag and plant it on their field, let’s go into the locker room and spend that time together celebrating the way we need to. You put so much work into this thing, we don’t need to go celebrate on the middle of their field.
“Let’s go into the locker room with the people that have put so much in to what it takes to achieve that feeling, and let’s celebrate together.”
Flag planting is not an overly common occurrence in college football, but it became a signature moment after Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield famously planted a flag on Ohio State’s field in 2017 following a victory.
That instance, however, was met with widespread admiration rather than controversy.
Similar actions in recent years, such as Michigan planting a flag at Ohio State in 2022 or Texas and Oregon doing so to Michigan earlier this season, occurred without incident.
This year’s rivalry week was different. Tensions boiled over, leading to confrontations between players and fans. For Freeman, the aftermath highlighted a problematic image for the sport.
“It’s a bad look for college football,” he added. “You don’t want people looking at highlights saying, ‘oh that’s how college football players act.’ They’re fighting each other after the game, that’s not what this is about.
“It’s a physically violent game, but I like to say it’s a beautiful game. Let’s make sure that we portray the right picture to those fans that are watching the game.”
In each case, the losing home teams – Ohio State, Florida State, and North Carolina – were unable to defend their fields during the games.
The subsequent flag-planting incidents added insult to injury, creating ugly scenes that many say detract from the spirit of competition.
“There’s so much work that goes into this game,” Freeman continued. “We don’t need to go celebrate in a way that causes more problems. Let’s focus on the people who made it possible and celebrate the right way.”
Interestingly, Ohio Representative Josh Williams introduced a bill that would make it a felony to plant a flag at the center of Ohio State’s football field.
“No person shall plant a flagpole with a flag attached to it in the center of the football field at Ohio stadium of the Ohio State University on the day of a college football competition, whether before, during, or after the competition,” the proposed bill reads.
Violators would face 6-12 months in prison if convicted.
What are your thoughts on the whole flag-planting controversy?
Do you think Freeman has the right stance on it???
