October 16, 2005
Instant replay: ACC officials are worst on the field
When you take a look at the instant replay results year-to-date, one alarming note stands out: 50% of all ACC replays have been calls that were overturned.
Through the first 37 games, league replay officials have overturned 15 of 30 plays reviewed -- or 50 percent. That's 20 percent higher than all of the Division I conferences using replay this season, and 14 percent higher than combined calls overturned in college football's six major conferences.
Fifty percent? Are you kidding me? Maybe Whittingham was on to something.
"Fifty percent overturned is shocking," said one bowl executive. "It should never be 50 percent. It sounds like a weather man."
Here's the rundown of BCS conference replay statistics for 2005 (numbers through last week):
ACC: 37 games - 30 replays - 15 overturned - 50.0%
Pac10: 30 games - 38 replays - 14 overturned - 36.8%
Big10: 37 games - 38 replays - 13 overturned - 34.2%
Big 12: 38 games - 39 replays - 13 overturned - 33.3%
Big East: 26 games - 27 replays - 9 overturned - 33.3%
SEC: 39 games - 27 replays - 8 overturned - 29.6%
Comments:
posted on October 16, 2005 1:02 PM — link — abuse?Jeff Quinton said:
#1,
The refs on the field had already blown the whistle though, so when the review officials chose to review you knew what their only answer could be - they still work for the conference so they might overturn some calls but they aren't going to embarass the on the field refs like that would have.JB34 said:
posted on October 16, 2005 1:08 PM — 69.134.20.254 — link — abuse?
I watched a ESPN report on Oustide the Lines last week about instant replay in college football. One very interesting item that was revealed in the report was how officials often intentionally review a play that they can justify as looking close, but that really isn’t. Their self-gratifying goal is to prove to the fans that they are much more accurate than you really believe.
Expect ACC games to experience an abnormally large spike in reviews of plays that really don’t need reviewing.
The conference will be embarassed by this statistic and will retreat into a “justify and rationalize” mode as opposed to taking a critical look at the performance of its officials. The answer will be to inflate the demoniator by increasing the amount of reviews of plays that really don’t need reviewing to ultimately improve its ratio.
It has aleady started. Anybody remember the reviews in Carter-Finley in Thursday night’s Clemson @ NC State game?
What a joke.
boifromtroy said:
posted on October 16, 2005 1:13 PM — 68.233.235.234 — link — abuse?
BTW, The Pac 10 has admitted that the replay officials have gotten 4 of their 14 overturned calls wrong!
Chas Rich said:
posted on October 16, 2005 5:15 PM — 65.43.155.147 — link — abuse?
I'm curious about the types of calls overturned. An interesting thing -- at least to me -- near the end of the PSU-Mich game was a pass that looked clearly like the PSU WR caught out of bounds. Looked like the ref initially signalled out of bounds. Then the refs huddled up and suddenly called it a catch. Everyone and their dog knew the play was going for a review at that point. The officials moved like they weren't even going to give PSU a chance to line-up and quickly spike the ball before the call came for a review.
I don't think the Big 11 does reviews of incompletes, but if it was ruled a catch it could be reviewed. Couldn't that be an issue? Couldn't potentially it is causing officials to err on the side of allowing review?
Just a thought.
Brian said:
posted on October 16, 2005 9:19 PM — 68.40.78.8 — link — abuse?
The Big Ten reviews everything that's reviewable; a Henne incompletion was correctly changed to an Avant catch after review in the UW game.
I think the Jacksonville article is a total sham. The important number is the number of overturned calls divided by the number of games, not the percentage. By that measure the Pac10 refs are screwing up with the most frequency.
Regan said:
posted on October 16, 2005 10:38 PM — 64.53.66.17 — link — abuse?
Sorry everyone, I have to say the Florida State -Florida 2003 game was the ultimate example of ACC officiating incompetance. I really don't care too much for either team or cared who won, but I saw the game and it was the worst I have ever seen.
We've known the ACC refs are (in general) the worst for some time. Hopefully now that statistics can show it, some extra training can be sent their way or something.
beaver32 said:
posted on October 17, 2005 2:23 PM — 64.126.168.26 — link — abuse?
Those stats can be deceiving - especially when conferences have different ways of applying replay. In the Pac-10, its the sole discretion of the TA (replay official) who sits in front of the TV monitor. The officals on the field have no function. Thus, I would think the overturn percentage would be quite high, since the person deciding that a play should be reviewed is someone who already thinks, by looking at a replay, that something doesn't look right. That is much different than an emotionally-charged, wishful-thinking coach throwing a hanky onto the field.
posted on October 17, 2005 2:34 PM — link — abuse?
All the BCS conferences use the same system (as implemented by the Big 10). I didn't list non-BCS conferences, although the Mountain West does use a coaches' challenge system, as you described.
posted on October 21, 2005 12:48 PM — link — abuse?
I can't find anything at all to support the claim that the ACC is reviewing fewer calls.
Jason said:
posted on October 21, 2005 1:44 PM — 216.185.237.167 — link — abuse?
There are a lot more things that happen in a game that make officials terrible than the calls they can and cannot review. I live in Kansas and have to watch Big 12 games all the time and those officials seem like they always pick the team to win at the start. If their team is falling behind holding has become optional for that team and God forbid the other team even think about it. Don't even think about breathing on the quarterback anytime he let's go of the ball or your going to get it.
Officiating is not an easy job, but come on. Adam Sandlers longest yard had better officials than some of these guys on the field.
There is bad officiating in every game. What about Reggie Bush pushing Matt Lionheart (give me a break) in the endzone to win over ND? Mark May told Lou Holtz it was a great play by Bush, even though it is supposed to be a penalty. Someone said it's like holding, you could call it on every play. Another commentator said it's not a penalty if you don't get caught. I guess if I go rob a bank it's not really stealing if I don't get caught. Something needs to be done about all the officiating, in every conference.
ftroop said:
posted on November 20, 2005 8:11 AM — 24.88.86.108 — link — abuse?
These statistics prove what everyon has known for decades. ACC officials are indeed the worst in the nation and the conference will not under any circumstances take corrective action to better the circumstances. The consequences of their actions are to blow the seasons, hopes and dreams of teams based upon their incompetence and carelessness.
Mike said:
posted on November 26, 2005 7:42 PM — 152.163.100.139 — link — abuse?
NC State-Maryland game today. What a joke!! It just continues on. Second half---what appeared to be a great defensive pass deflection for Maryland by the broadcasters and on replays is waved off as incomplete by the official on top of the play and is then called interference by another official off the play. First down on the 2 for NC State. It finally took them four shots to barely score.
Soon thereafter, the Maryland quarterback throws an interception that is returned for the game winning TD. Replay after replay show an obvious hand to the face by the defensive player Williams of NC State and to top it off, Williams then grabs the QB's face mask and twists it. As the announcers stated--a very bad missed call and the one that won the game.
Maryland is a team that averages a mere 39 penalty yards a game ends the game well over double that amount.
Anyone who has played the game can relate that penalties such as the ones above turns momentum incredibly and this is an example of one such game. Maryland dominated the first half, the ridiculous penalties began, frustration grew, and NC State wins at home. RIDICULOUS and unfortunate. The wrong team is going to a bowl in my opinion. I have rarely seen such a poorly officated game!
Richard said:
posted on September 17, 2006 12:29 AM — 64.12.116.199 — link — abuse?
Lets call it like it is. The calls in the Oklahoma Oregon game are by far the worst calls I ve ever seen, expecially since the on side kick and the pass interferance calls were reviewed, and everyone, the announcers at the game and the people at ESPN all agree that those calls were wrong. Oklahoma won that game but could not beat the officials.
Newman said:
posted on September 17, 2006 9:22 PM — 24.253.213.107 — link — abuse?
Oklahoma won that game against Oregon. The officials that reviewed the on side kick should be fired! I understand if they make a mistake and correct if after they review the instant replay. Everyone saw that the last 2 calls were wrong, and this cost OU the game. Making calls like these take away from the sport, let's just call it cheating by the officials. When it's this obvious I if feel the win should be reversed.
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#1nole said:
posted on October 16, 2005 11:45 AM — 24.178.70.238 — link — abuse?Those ******** put 7 points on the board for Virginia last night. That’s not an excuse for FSU’s **** poor performance but it was just a bad call on an obvious turn over in the first quarter.