After a season full of questionable calls by Big Ten Conference football officials, the league’s coaches voted unanimously to experiment with instant replay this season.
The experiment will take place during selected conference games, but it will be a “behind the scenes” operation with no direct challenges to the actual game referees or their calls. Instead, a selected member of the panel will act as a coach and challenge the calls using television replays.
This means the NCAA could see voting on instant replay and implement it as soon as the 2004 season, and it’s about time. Most football officials do make the correct call the first time around, but they can’t see every angle of the field and make every call. They need the chance to see questionable calls on instant replay just as the viewing audience gets to watch three or four times.
Instant replay also creates a balance of power between officials and coaches. This might eliminate some of the altercations we see in college football, particularly Joe Paterno chasing down officials after games. A simple challenge and then a review of the play would at least give fans and coaches the satisfaction that the referee made the correct call.
The arguments against instant replay are that it is too expensive and it takes away from the game.
We all know college football is a big time money-maker for universities, especially in Bowl Championship Series conferences. Most of these member schools already have the ability to show instant replay in stadiums.
The money issue doesn’t really cut it, and in a game that produces millions of dollars in revenue, every effort should be taken to make sure the correct call is made.
Others who argue that bad calls are a part of the game truly have no grasp for the world we live in. There’s nothing more American than football, and Americans believe in doing their best. If you have the ability to make officiating more accurate, then do it.
Besides, we have seen instant replay works in the NFL and it actually adds another element to the game. It creates suspense and more importantly gets fans involved.
Now, I’d be the first person to say a referee doesn’t win or lose most games for a team. However, instant replay ensures that a call doesn’t change the momentum of the game.
LSU experienced first hand how great instant replay can be against Alabama in 2000. LSU muffed a punt return deep in its own territory and clearly recovered the ball, but the referee awarded the football to Alabama.
After LSU players insisted that the referee look at the replay on the big screen, he overturned the call and the Tigers claimed a 30-28 win, its first over Alabama in Baton Rouge since 1969.
Even though the Big Ten will take credit for being the first to implement instant replay, we know better. We did it first at LSU.