College Referees - Getting Worse?

[El Paso Eagle]

Just a casual observation but it seems the refs across college football are getting worse. Have seen multiple replays today where all of the announcers and studio "experts" say one thing yet the refs rule differently. Several games have been impacted this year and afterwards the conference say "sorry". It is sad that they are playing such a major role in an already screwed up season. I guess there are not enough "new" referees available to replace the ones who make so many mistakes. 

[outoftown]

Well not sure people really want to be refs. In any case Covid makes everything tougher, even reffing, as you get crews that are not necessarily used to work with each other (several conferences including C-USA are trying to get crews more on the basis of who is closest to save money and keep folks from flying), as refs couldn't prepare the season as usual etc. So yes the reffing this season is definitely not getting better. There are reasons. Why it hasn't been getting better the years before is another question.

[GrandGreen]

The referees have been bad almost universally forever as judged by the losing team.

Now you have commentators and instant replay over analyzing every close call. 

I doubt the quality of referees  has done anything but improve over the years, just because nearly every call is so scrutinized.  So the bad ones are weeded out. 

Frankly, calls are done in microseconds than analysed by slo-motion replay for minutes.  A lot of overturned calls just could not have been seen in game time. 

[NT93]

  On 11/1/2020 at 12:07 AM, GrandGreen said:

Frankly, calls are done in microseconds than analysed by slo-motion replay for minutes.  A lot of overturned calls just could not have been seen in game time. 

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Agreed and I don’t think this was the original intent of instant replay.  The intent was to do away with obvious blown calls.

The worst are the “was it a catch” reviews.  Okie St.  got ripped today in my opinion.  The had picked up a first down late in the 4th qtr. on a great “catch” that the replay booth determined was actually not a catch.  I say this and (prepares for the flaming) I was rooting for Texas.

[buff64]

Maybe the announcers are getting worse. I have heard them make many errors in their broadcast .

 

 

[Cr1028]

  On 10/31/2020 at 11:36 PM, El Paso Eagle said:

Just a casual observation but it seems the refs across college football are getting worse. Have seen multiple replays today where all of the announcers and studio "experts" say one thing yet the refs rule differently. Several games have been impacted this year and afterwards the conference say "sorry". It is sad that they are playing such a major role in an already screwed up season. I guess there are not enough "new" referees available to replace the ones who make so many mistakes. 

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You were watching Texas v OSU

[El Paso Eagle]

  On 11/1/2020 at 2:57 PM, Cr1028 said:

You were watching Texas v OSU

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Yes, but it seems like every game I watch, do a lot of channel surfing on ESPN+, has the same situation.

[El Paso Eagle]

  On 11/1/2020 at 12:10 PM, buff64 said:

Maybe the announcers are getting worse. I have heard them make many errors in their broadcast .

 

 

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This is another very good point. The announcers seem to be acting more like cheerleaders for certain players than they used to. Also, when games are not close the crap they come up with the try and keep people tuned in is bad.

[Withers940]

Totally agree with @GrandGreen, I don't think the refs are worse and they might be a tad bit better but there are 5 plus camera angles to every play and we can see everything thing and the refs only get one angle on a play. I think they have been $h!t Rotten but I also have to tell myself that we can slow things down and see it from 20 different angles so we can see every little aspect of every play.

Im sure if people could rewind and fast forward through my day to day, they would probably think Im $h!t at my job too.......Or first ballot Hall of Famer 

[El Paso Eagle]

  On 11/2/2020 at 3:43 PM, Withers940 said:

Totally agree with @GrandGreen, I don't think the refs are worse and they might be a tad bit better but there are 5 plus camera angles to every play and we can see everything thing and the refs only get one angle on a play. I think they have been $h!t Rotten but I also have to tell myself that we can slow things down and see it from 20 different angles so we can see every little aspect of every play.

Im sure if people could rewind and fast forward through my day to day, they would probably think Im $h!t at my job too.......Or first ballot Hall of Famer 

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I would have no problem if they only used replays on scores and then allowed each team one challenge. But if they are going to use the technology then use it. 

[UNTcrazy727]

  On 11/1/2020 at 3:03 AM, NT93 said:

Agreed and I don’t think this was the original intent of instant replay.  The intent was to do away with obvious blown calls.

The worst are the “was it a catch” reviews.  Okie St.  got ripped today in my opinion.  The had picked up a first down late in the 4th qtr. on a great “catch” that the replay booth determined was actually not a catch.  I say this and (prepares for the flaming) I was rooting for Texas.

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I agree with your overall sentiment, but that was clearly not a catch IMO. The WR didn't have full control of the ball when it hit the ground. 

[UNT86]

The problem with the officials is their mindset.

They don't want to make a call because they don't want to effect the game.  It is hard to explain to them that by NOT making the call, you are changing the game anyway.  They don't want to call holding unless it is at the point of attack.  Anyone who has coached at a high level can tell you that as an official,  you do not know who is responsible in the scheme for each gap or player.  If will not call holding unless it is in front of the ball, you are in fact changing the outcome of the game.  If a player cannot get to his responsibility, he may never get in front of the ball to be seen.

I officiated high school football for 10 years.  I've been told by senior members not to call anything the first play of the game.  I've seen a Big 12 Backjudge tell us at a clinic not to call unsportsmanlike conduct early in the game.  I had an official tell me that he didn't call holding because the linebacker made the tackle anyway (yes, but for a 5 yard gain instead of a 1 yard loss). Look at the female official from our conference that went pro.  She refuses to call anything and they think she is great.

Replay has only made the problem worse.  Now they figure if they don't call it, replay will fix it.

It is a mindset.... and a poor one.

[NT93]

All of the reviews take away from my enjoyment of the game.