First off, I want to say that this thread is setting the result from Saturday aside, I think a discussion on the larger topic is one worth having because these guys and gals decide game outcomes and coaches jobs in basketball and football and yet they aren't available to the media, coaches and players can't criticize them, and fans can't (and shouldn't) go after them. There is little to no accountability.
In SEC contests in football and basketball, the norm is that games are decided by a possession or two. Game-deciding mistakes being made by officials - Florida at home in basketball or at Kentucky last season in football - is pervasive in college sports, not just against Mizzou.
We've now heard that the Pac-12 has a... less than above board system of video review.
What's to be done in the major conferences?
To me, the SEC brings in a ton of revenue as an entity, some more resources have to be spent on the product and having full-time officials.
Nowhere is this a bigger problem than in college basketball, where ratings and attendance are dropping and a big part of it is the product sucks and the officiating is so poor and slanted toward the home team. It's well documented the travel schedule for some of these guys and the problems they've had with just being flat out tired and having to call games. Beyond that, you can't reasonably expect the best work from someone who is not even full-time and who has to run their own roofing company or principal a school, no matter how good of an official they could be if they were full-time.
The NFL and NBA pay officials well, and the product is better. During conference play in basketball, there're seven games going on in a day. Figure that you overstaff a bit so guys can rotate and not be on the road all the time and that's, let's say, 30 people you have to employ full-time, 7 crews on and 3 crews off. They could ref women's games, too, so to get better value.
I don't see why this simple solution is so fuggin hard.
In SEC contests in football and basketball, the norm is that games are decided by a possession or two. Game-deciding mistakes being made by officials - Florida at home in basketball or at Kentucky last season in football - is pervasive in college sports, not just against Mizzou.
We've now heard that the Pac-12 has a... less than above board system of video review.
What's to be done in the major conferences?
To me, the SEC brings in a ton of revenue as an entity, some more resources have to be spent on the product and having full-time officials.
Nowhere is this a bigger problem than in college basketball, where ratings and attendance are dropping and a big part of it is the product sucks and the officiating is so poor and slanted toward the home team. It's well documented the travel schedule for some of these guys and the problems they've had with just being flat out tired and having to call games. Beyond that, you can't reasonably expect the best work from someone who is not even full-time and who has to run their own roofing company or principal a school, no matter how good of an official they could be if they were full-time.
The NFL and NBA pay officials well, and the product is better. During conference play in basketball, there're seven games going on in a day. Figure that you overstaff a bit so guys can rotate and not be on the road all the time and that's, let's say, 30 people you have to employ full-time, 7 crews on and 3 crews off. They could ref women's games, too, so to get better value.
I don't see why this simple solution is so fuggin hard.
