Is it Conspiracy or Reality about SEC officiating? We examine the Facts

Mike Slive may fine me for this, but here goes.

How can it come to this? How can college football’s best conference — the best players, the best coaches, the best of everything — continue to be subjected to brutally poor officiating?

Alabama beat LSU 24-15 in the best game of the season to date, and all we’ll remember is a blown call from a replay official late in the fourth quarter that changed everything. Instead of celebrating a big win for No. 3 Alabama and looking forward to the SEC championship game against No.1 Florida next month, we’re left with this:

“Speculation,” said LSU coach Les Miles, “is rampant.”

That, everyone, was Miles with his Slive muzzle permanently affixed. For the fourth time in a month, the SEC commissioner is dealing with credibility issues for his officials. Last week, Slive said he would fine or suspend any coach who complained about officiating — and eventually levied a $30,000 hit on Florida coach Urban Meyer.

Since Miles won’t say anything, I will. This is beyond bad officiating. It’s so undeniably awful, I’m beginning to believe conspiracy nuts who claim the SEC is protecting its heavyweight teams (Florida and Alabama) since, you know, every poor call in the last month has involved, uh, Florida and Alabama.

This time it was a non-call of an interception by LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson, a pick that would’ve given the Tigers the ball at their 37 with 5:54 to play and trailing by six. Instead, Alabama eventually kicked a field goal on the drive, went up by nine and iced the game.

“I was definitely in,” Peterson said. “I showed (officials) the mark on the field.”

Television replays clearly showed Peterson got not one, but both feet in bounds. I’m not exactly sure, but when CBS showed the replay booth, I could’ve sworn I saw the Three Wise Monkeys: see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.

“The hardest part,” Miles said, measuring his words for fear of the $30K spanking, “is telling our guys that’s how it is. Patrick says he intercepted the ball. The replay official said he didn’t.”

Said Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy: “It was one of those ‘Oh, shoot!’ moments. I guess sometimes you just get a break.”

The breaks that keep on giving. After the coaches at Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi State all complained about bad calls — the SEC admitted as much in the Arkansas loss to Florida — Slive directed his closed-mouth mandate. The problem: The bad calls keep coming.

The shame of it all is here is a moment where the SEC should be standing tall and thumping its chest and bragging about another No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in the league’s championship game — a title matchup that will be the most important game of the season for the fourth straight year.

The league should be promoting Mark Ingram, Alabama’s bowling ball of a tailback who churned out another monster game (22 carries, 144 yards) against a terrific LSU defense — and is now the clear leader in the race for the Heisman Trophy.

“If there’s a better player out there,” said Alabama linebacker Cory Reamer, “I want to see him.”

In a crowded postgame press conference, Ingram talked about staying focused and not looking ahead to the game of the year with Florida. The preliminaries are finally over, and now we wait.

For the best game in college football’s regular season. For a defacto semifinal national playoff game. For the biggest, baddest conference to once again put on a show that dwarfs the BCS national championship game.

And for the SEC to do something about the truly pathetic officiating.

The SEC has won three straight national championships, and could make it four in a row in January. Nothing, it seems, can stop the goliath of a league.

Nothing but itself.

“There’s a team in there that’s understandably unhappy,” Miles said. “This day had a lot of promise.”

See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.

By Matt Hayes

Let’s review

SEC officials have been part of a handful of questionable calls this fall, and many have directly impacted the outcome of the game. LSU at Georgia, Oct. 3: Both LSU and Georgia are flagged for excessive celebration penalties late in the fourth quarter. SEC says officials erred on both calls. Arkansas at Florida, Oct. 17: Arkansas was flagged for a personal foul call in the fourth quarter against Florida. The SEC said the call was incorrect, and the crew was suspended from their next assignment. Florida at Mississippi State, Oct. 24: Florida LB Dustin Doe scored on an interception return and television replays clearly showed Doe fumbled before crossing the goal line. The SEC said replay was inconclusive. LSU at Alabama, Nov. 7: Television replays show LSU CB Patrick Peterson intercepted a pass late in the fourth quarter, but replay official confirmed call of incompletion. – MH

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