I watched a little bit of last Thursday's Dolphins-Steelers NFL opener and I walked away thinking just how right the NCAA got its instant replay rule.

In case you missed it, the NCAA approved instant replay across all games (at least those with the requisite number of television cameras) this year. The system is just like the one the Big Ten started a few seasons back, with an official in the booth reviewing every play on the field. If there's a question, he buzzes an on-field official and play stops momentarily while he takes a longer look at it. The NCAA also added a provision for coaches to challenge one call per game.

In the Miami-Pittsburgh game, the Steelers scored a late touchdown that Dolphins coach Nick Saban tried unsuccessfully to challenge. He red-flagged the play, but officials didn't see it in time and the touchdown stood, though Steelers tight end Heath Miller was obviously out of bounds around the 3-yard line.

You can blame Saban for not throwing the flag fast enough or his assistants in the booth for not relaying what they saw in a timely fashion, but the real party at fault is the NFL. How a billion-dollar league can have such an incomplete replay system is baffling.

The NCAA's rule is not perfect. With human error and bodies flying around at 100 miles an hour, nothing ever will be. But if the league's intent is to get the call correct, putting more of the onus on an off-field official is the right thing to do.