Often, a negative thing can have a positive outcome. It think the Riot at Neyland may do just that. There are times when people complain and complain and complain, rightly so, and yet no one in power does anything to address the complaint. They keep the same system in place and keep empowering themselves and reaping the riches. A example would be the way that Bama can lay Dodge Chargers on their kids and it's just an open joke, while we do the same and get investigated by the NCAA. Refereeing, also, is a powerful tool to subtly affect the game in favor of the top dogs and not let the unranked teams have a fair advantage. Why was a controversial and recently-disciplined crew allowed to ref this game?
College football is truly broken right now. It's ridiculous that Alabama and a few other teams can just keep winning and "parity" is not a goal that anyone in CFB leadership has in mind. So when human frustration boils over, it serves as a change agent. I think the OP is not far off in comparing what happened last night (as a similar human feeling, though not with the same important stakes) to the American Revolution. The social dynamics in both case are similar. But last night, instead of tea, the food of change was mustard!