It's Time for Harbaugh & Manuel to Fix B1G Officiating. Here's How
Comrades,
We need to do something about B1G officiating to make sure these problems are minimized in the future. It can be done. (NOTE: I've updated this thread to account for comments here and on the regular board.)
As a historical reminder, it was the Big Ten that introduced instant replay to college football. In the 2002 season, Joe Paterno was furious that blown calls on fumbles had cost Penn State several games. As a result, the Big Ten introduced replay in the 2004 season.
The same thing can happen again, if Jim Harbaugh and Warde Manuel make it a priority. We can improve the replay process and get the officiating subjectivity out of important parts of the game. Here are some areas that are relatively easy to improve. Perhaps you all have others?
1. Pass interference. In the CFL, coaches are allowed to challenge interference calls and non-calls. The Big Ten could adopt this rule, and also make any pass attempt on third or fourth down, or over 20 yards, reviewable if the replay booth wants to review the call or non-call. The replay booth wouldn't have to review the call each time, like with a fumble, but rather if the call was clearly worth reviewing.
2. Spots. The problem with the fourth down call was that the replay was at a bad angle, and therefore didn't produce what officials would consider indisputable video evidence (though it is geometrically obvious that he was short). There has to be a way to get better spots in situations where the linesmen can't see what's happening. Perhaps cameras can be put on poles at the first down marker and at ground level to look over and under the play on each side of the field—or perhaps from cameras with telephoto lenses higher up in the stadium. You could have a camera on one of those pulley systems directly above the ball's yardage line at all times, kind of like the goal line cameras in the NHL.
3a. Higher quality refs (pay them). As we've discussed on the board in the past, the B1G refs are part-time and don't appear to conform to a rigorous quality standard. The conference could easily afford to have full-time refs who are high end. NFL referees made $173,000 on average in 2015; the Big Ten could easily serve as a farm team for near-NFL quality referees by paying them.
If a full-fledged B1G officiating crew cost $400k a year, times 7 conference games a week times 9 conference games a year = $25.6 million annually. The B1G's latest television contract pays the conference $440 million a year, and that doesn't include bowl game revenues and other income sources.
If the conference feels that's too much to spend, the conference could instead have two full-time officiating crews that rotate through the conference's most important games each week. That would cost $8.4 million a year ($400k x 10 regular season weeks x 2 games/week + championship game).
3b. Higher quality refs (grade them). Furthermore, the conference could have a weekly, public, grading of the officiating teams in each game, giving awards to the officiating crew that did the best, and caling out the ones that made mistakes. It would be after the fact game-wise, but it would give fans confidence that the B1G takes officiating seriously.
3c. Higher quality refs (eliminate conflicts of interest). As noted in this thread by Magnus, the official who called the personal foul on Harbaugh was in Ohio's officiating hall of fame. It appears that the B1G used to have a rule that refs from Ohio and Michigan couldn't ref The Game (h/t NYCBlue). While I'm sure that there are officials who can call the game fairly even if they are from the same state as one of the teams, there have been too many instances of poor officiating associated with this problem.
Another way to address this solution, suggested by researchers at Miami University (NNTM) and Florida State, is to nationalize FBS officiating. This is apparently done in most other NCAA sports. The researchers found that there is significant bias toward the home team in college football officiating, among other things, and suggested that officiating be run by the NCAA nationally rather than by conferences. Such a change would limit the likelihood of a local official or conference-associated official biasing the outcome of a game.
4. Replay booths at a neutral site. Instead of the booths being at the site of the game, have them in Chicago. This is what the NHL does with all replays being reviewed in Toronto. This removes the pressure on replay officials to play to the home crowd.
The Big Ten has an opportunity to be a leader in improving the integrity of competition in its flagship sport. It should take advantage of it. Warde Manuel, the ball's in your court.
November 26th, 2016 at 6:46 PM ^
November 26th, 2016 at 9:45 PM ^
is reviewed by the league and schools are allowed to send in plays for review. Game assignments are based on weekly evaluation and stock of a particular crew. Right now, the league is suffering from the recent retirement of some of its most experienced referees and crew officials.
Reading some of Harbaugh's comments about today's game and the fact that a sideline official was conerned about his sideline conduct and then flagged him for unsportsmanlike conduct, a penalty on top of an offside call raises questions about the calling official's knowledge of college football rules as it relates to sideline conduct. Not saying Harbaugh didn't deserve the call for his antics, but the offcial citing a basketball standard for football coaching conduct and staying within the coaching box, would hardly support the same call in football. The standard is different because a coach's sideline response to any call hardly carries the same influence as a basketball coach in an enclosed arena. And the remedy in basketball for such conduct is regularly understood and enforced.
The problem today was lack of consistency in the application of any standard for certain calls, such as pass interence and defensive holding other than apparent crowd response intimidation. Early in the game on a third down play when Grant Perry was targeted on a throw, his defender hooked him and then he was put on the ground even as the ball whizzed by him without a flag. Yet crowd reaction on a play involving less contact on a Buckeye third down throw drew a flag and first down. And this happened again late on a throw that was uncatchable to Samuel but crowd reaction again led to a penalty, and Michigan was forced to defend a fresh set of downs with 4 plus minutes left in the fourth quarter.
We don't want officials to decide the game, but we also don't want the home crowd to decide who should be flagged and who shouldn't, and that combined with an inconsistent standard for flagged and unflagged calls, is what the Michigan beef is really about. If these officials can't stand up to the pressure of calling these games, then they need to be replaced by those who can.
The fact is the crew that worked today's game is an extremely veteran crew, has worked Michigan games earlier in the year, and done other major game and bowl assignments in the past.
November 26th, 2016 at 11:26 PM ^
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November 26th, 2016 at 10:04 PM ^
November 26th, 2016 at 10:20 PM ^
November 26th, 2016 at 10:20 PM ^
November 26th, 2016 at 10:20 PM ^
November 27th, 2016 at 2:03 AM ^
wow he is tackling Chris Wormley. wow. just...wow
November 28th, 2016 at 4:51 AM ^
Honestly, I think that's borderline. (Then again, who knows what holding is anymore?) Holding typically isn't called when the defensive player is being pushed -- that's just blocking. And while the offensive player does have his left arm wrapped around the Michigan player briefly, he seemed to disengage pretty quickly. I'd be inclined to put that into the "good block" category.
Of course, it was a "good block" at the 14 1/2 yard line, and Barrett ran into the guy, but...
November 27th, 2016 at 1:19 AM ^
It's time to bring in SEC refs for "The Game." No more Ohio home cooking.
November 26th, 2016 at 6:46 PM ^
There has been some research showing that home crowds influence the officiating more than the players' performance on the field.
November 26th, 2016 at 8:35 PM ^
November 27th, 2016 at 8:09 AM ^
Here's a good summary of some 2015 research done specifically on college football homerism in officiating by a group of scholars at Miami University (NNTM) and Florida State:
"Based on a complex analysis of penalty yards assessed over the course of eight seasons, the study by professors at Miami University of Ohio and Florida State University suggests, for instance, that ACC and Big 12 refs tend to penalize home teams less during games between conference rivals. Favored Big Ten teams are penalized fewer yards when playing nonconference teams, the study says...
"These and other examples of bias indicate 'considerable variance' in officiating across conferences, the study concludes, even as the monetary stakes mushroom with college football’s new four-team playoff. The researchers urge the NCAA to consider creating a national officiating body rather than have refs hired, fired, and evaluated by conferences."
A book a few years ago, Scorecasting, looked at the phenomenon across all sports.
November 26th, 2016 at 10:45 PM ^
I saw this in real time. Thought it was a bit odd to do in the middle of a game. Not sure it can be presented as proof of ref tampering, but odd nonetheless. The ref just seems so happy.
November 26th, 2016 at 11:18 PM ^
is grinning and slaps the OSU player in the butt.
Professional? Unbiased?
November 27th, 2016 at 12:30 AM ^
I mean come on. He's a football player.
November 27th, 2016 at 10:11 PM ^
as if to say "nice ass"
November 27th, 2016 at 8:58 AM ^
November 26th, 2016 at 7:21 PM ^
November 26th, 2016 at 8:37 PM ^
November 26th, 2016 at 11:02 PM ^
November 27th, 2016 at 3:57 PM ^
November 26th, 2016 at 7:25 PM ^
November 26th, 2016 at 7:28 PM ^
November 26th, 2016 at 8:24 PM ^
November 26th, 2016 at 8:43 PM ^
November 26th, 2016 at 8:43 PM ^
November 26th, 2016 at 9:24 PM ^
So happy to hear how great ur life is but most of us are miserable with our new prez, losing again to a school that begins with da, global warming, among other reasons.
This should have been more of a comfort than 3000 calories I just ate and drank.
Fuck da osu.
November 26th, 2016 at 9:25 PM ^
So happy to hear how great ur life is but most of us are miserable with our new prez, losing again to a school that begins with da, global warming, among other reasons.
This should have been more of a comfort than 3000 calories I just ate and drank.
Fuck da osu.
November 26th, 2016 at 8:53 PM ^
Ive stopped watching college hoops due to shit officiating....CFB is well on its way there as well.
Damn shame but its not worth watching the garbage with a both of 60 plus yr old dudes trying to keep up with 18-22 athletes.
November 27th, 2016 at 11:03 AM ^
November 28th, 2016 at 6:37 AM ^
I agree about the ESPN drivel. It would be nice if they had an audio subchannel or something that had a few knowledgable analysts that just talked about the game at hand, and not the other stuff.
November 26th, 2016 at 8:38 PM ^
Maybe avoid the basketball idioms for a little bit.
November 26th, 2016 at 11:09 PM ^
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November 26th, 2016 at 9:32 PM ^
how this is NOT defensive holding?
November 26th, 2016 at 10:23 PM ^
November 26th, 2016 at 10:49 PM ^
The thing that really gets my goat about this play is that it is not only holding, but also then pass interference, and then interference AGAIN on the nickleback. Easily the most animated I have ever been towards a TV in my life.
November 26th, 2016 at 11:29 PM ^
November 26th, 2016 at 11:00 PM ^
November 27th, 2016 at 11:33 PM ^
November 28th, 2016 at 6:34 AM ^
At what point in the game was this?
November 26th, 2016 at 10:01 PM ^
I said it in another thread, will say it here:
No idea if the spot was correct or not. Its certainly very close either way.
The real issues were A. the inconsistency of the PI calls (OSU gets two calls to extend drives, Michigan has the same thing happen and does not get the calls) and B. The fact that its simply not believable that OSU had 2 penalties for 6 yards.
There was a clear bias that helped OSU win this game. Yes, Michigan should have still won (had Wilton thrown only one terrible pick or Cole doesn't produce a pointless facemask, its over), but it doesn't change the fact that the officials gave Ohio State a leg up throughout the game.
November 26th, 2016 at 10:18 PM ^
November 26th, 2016 at 10:20 PM ^
Replace line judges with camera review wherever possible. That doesn't eliminate bias, though. The camera reviews upheld their worst BS, including the ridiculous spot.
Rotate officials out of the game frequently to reduce the fear of making the right calls. It's a drop in the bucket compared to how much money they're hauling in.
Look I don't know if this team was really ready to face Alabama...we would have been more ready than Barrett and company though.... damn it, we were absolutely unfairly robbed of the chance to try.
Stockholm syndrome never changes anything. Good on Harbaugh calling out corruption.
November 26th, 2016 at 10:28 PM ^
November 26th, 2016 at 10:58 PM ^
this was like 2013 MBB Championship Game.
I remember being shocked at the lack of a sustained effort to demand reform of officiating then, in spite of good ideas.
Absolutely, should be professionalized, and refs held accountable.
Reeks of corruption, too.
November 26th, 2016 at 11:24 PM ^
November 27th, 2016 at 12:26 AM ^
Well said, and I'm right there with you. When that game ended, I immediately thought, "What's the point of continuing to watch these games?" I have actually thought this before and I can't seem to quit because I have also spent more than 40 years loving Michigan football. My earliest sports memory is of crying when Michigan lost to OSU in the early 70s. And here I am again.
But if we can't count on the integrity of the game, then what's the point? And we can't count on the integrity of the game. There is too much money involved. The NCAA already does nothing to schools that cheat if they are money makers. So in one sense, the game is already rigged. But I guarantee you that the Big Ten wanted OSU to win this game today. That was their best chance to get two teams in the playoff and make more money. Then you watch that officiating. This conference did not add Rutgers because they thought it would be good for college athletics. It was about money. There is too much money involved to be able to trust that everything is aboveboard.
I probably still love Michigan too much to quit, but I do wonder why I bother. I have given up caring about all other sports. All of my sports emotion is poured into Michigan football and it inevitably leads to pain and agony. I really should give it up and spend my time on something less painful. But I don't know if I can.
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