Is it time for a review of officiating????

[Wingate1217]

I am watching the Fresno St-Whisky game and I just saw a review of a call that myself and all three commentators cannot believe the call was reversed. The play was that a Fresno St. receiver caught the ball and took a step and was stripped and the call on the field was ruled a fumble. On further review the call was reversed. It is this type of blatant homerism by conference officials that must stop. Recent examples include a reversal of a call in the Miami-Florida game and two calls I can think of in tonight's game against USC (fumble call and the pick when the LB stepped out of bounds). Sometimes these calls effect the outcome of the game (OSU-USC obviously didn't) but is some cases it just might. The Big East did one heck of a job last year trying to get WVU into the National Championship game based on some of the calls I saw against Pitt.

Question: Is it time for the NCAA to step in and have a universal officiating staff that travels and does games in all the conferences? This would do away with officials having conference ties and hopefully a more balanced field in terms of how the rules are applied. Let the discussion begin....

 

[Jake]

Wiscy did get homered on that replay, but I'm hesitant to believe that top down management is the solution. Our federal government has been peddling that idea for years, with highly questionable results...do you really think the NCAA would be any better?

 

[JBaney45]

Yes I think it would be better if the NCAA had universal officiating staffs, this became clear to me in the WVU-Pitt game last year.

The problem is from a practicality standpoint it doesn't really work. If the NCAA do it in Division 1-A football are they going to do it at all levels? What about in all sports?

 

[NastyDogg72]

From my understanding the NCAA is putting in a governing body for officials beginning next season. The object is to creat consistencey throughout college football because of considerable errors by officiating crews the past few years. Oklahoma getting jobed at Oregon, the WVU - Pitt game last year as well as our game at home with Illinois and the Penn State - Purdue game, the same crew ironically. This season has done nothing to minimize the need for such a governing body. College officials need to be held accountable just like officials in the NFL, hopefully improvement will occur. Only time will tell.

 

[Mike80]

I would say yes, except that the current leadership of the NCAA is completely and totally incompetent to begin with so they'll only manage to make it worse rather than better.....

 

[Bucklion]

Usually is dual conference games, the home team has the refs on the field, and the other conference has the replay booth guys...was that the case tonight?

 

[bkochmc]

Yes I think it would be better if the NCAA had universal officiating staffs, this became clear to me in the WVU-Pitt game last year.

FYI, the NCAA does not certify officials for any sport (that I am aware of). Depending on the sport officials are either certified by the conference (football) or a sport governing body (track certified by USA Track & Field, volleyball certified by Professional Association of Volleyball Officials). Most are certified by the later venue thus in many sports the universal officiating staff argument is a moot point. From what I have found I do not see a national football association other than NFHS (National Federation of High Schools)... it appears that there are a bunch of local associations (example: http://www.oafo.org/) that each do their own thing (ie govern themselves). Since the NCAA isn't in the business of organizing official associations it would be a tough assignment to get all those associations to buy into a national body.

The other thing to think about is travel. If there was a national officiating association for football crews would still most likely be created geographically. A crew consisting mainly of Ohio officials would no longer be a Big Ten crew but most likely would do a bunch of Big Ten and MAC games. Same thing happens in other sports until tournament/postseason play begins and officials are then selected by the NCAA committee.

 

[cincibuck]

I am watching the Fresno St-Whisky game and I just saw a review of a call that myself and all three commentators cannot believe the call was reversed. The play was that a Fresno St. receiver caught the ball and took a step and was stripped and the call on the field was ruled a fumble. On further review the call was reversed. It is this type of blatant homerism by conference officials that must stop. Recent examples include a reversal of a call in the Miami-Florida game and two calls I can think of in tonight's game against USC (fumble call and the pick when the LB stepped out of bounds). Sometimes these calls effect the outcome of the game (OSU-USC obviously didn't) but is some cases it just might. The Big East did one heck of a job last year trying to get WVU into the National Championship game based on some of the calls I saw against Pitt.

Question: Is it time for the NCAA to step in and have a universal officiating staff that travels and does games in all the conferences? This would do away with officials having conference ties and hopefully a more balanced field in terms of how the rules are applied. Let the discussion begin....

It's long past that. Think of the number of times when OSU and Michigan got jobbed inthe Rose Bowl. It was Woody and Bo who finally insisted that outside officials call the games there. By the same token I've seen teams get jobbed in Ohio Stadium by Big 10 refs. A national system is needed.

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

FWIW, the officials have since come out and said they blew that call.