Upon Further Review: Time for replay in the NCAA
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With several teams fighting for one of the top four bowl games, the stakes are higher and every yellow flag dropped or not dropped can mean the difference of $13 million in somebody else’s pocket.
One call — or one missed call — can be the difference in a team getting $2 or $3 million — or the big money, the BCS’s $13 million.
So now the question is should there be instant replay in college football?
This year we have seen more questionable calls than in years past and many coaches and school officials are lobbying for instant replay.
From a non-call Saturday that may have cost Penn State a game-winning drive against Ohio State, to a wrong call two weeks ago that gave USC a touchdown it didn’t deserve, blown calls or no calls keep happening in games that will have an outcome on the BCS polls.
I think officials will be the first to tell you they’re not perfect. But with all that is on the line for major colleges these days, you have to make sure the calls are made correctly.
The college game is played at a much faster pace than it was 20 years ago and that is why we see so many wrong calls made. Just like in the pros, the game became so fast that the human eye couldn’t catch all the penalties. So what do they do? They put the camera to work to help get the calls right.
In the NFL the instant replay has settled arguments that otherwise would be talked about for years. After several years of fine tuning, instant replay has worked and continues to be a good investment for the NFL.
So with so much on the line in college football, is instant replay the next step?
The concerns about officiating are strong enough and the stakes have become so high, that at least three major football conferences — the Big Ten, Big 12 and the PAC 10 are looking into implementing instant replay maybe as soon as next year.
If instant replay makes its way to the college field, it will have a major impact and should keep some fans from leaving the stadium shaking their heads and wondering “what if.” It will probably make the game a few minutes longer, but if it’s going to make a difference whether a team goes to a major bowl or stays in the top 10 in the polls, then I say do it.
As many of you know, Saturday in Knoxville there was a huge mistake made by the officials. Tennessee had the Alabama quarterback tackled and was down when he pitched the ball to the running back, who was on his knees. The running back ran the ball down to the Tennessee 8-yard line. Alabama hit a field goal and led 17-7 with 8:42 in the third quarter.
OK, Alabama may have still won the game. But we will never know if those two bad calls on the same play changed the momentum Tennessee was gaining. We will never know and Tennessee fans will be pondering over the loss for many years. If they only had instant replay we would know the answer.