Coach's Challenge

[mountainman]

Looks like the NCAA is on the way to giving college football coaches at least one replay challenge per game next season. Also they will require the conferences to use a universal review format if their recommended changes are approved by the rules committees at their meeting this coming March.

[Spence]

I don't like giving the coaches a replay challenge. In some case's it would help, mostly though, I think it will just slow down the game. The NCAA needs to adopt a universal system for reviewing replay and use it, instead of letting different conferences tweak it to suit their needs. I am all for getting a call right, but it seems like the more officials rely on replay the worse job they do. The NFL is a prime example of officials not getting better with replay, they seem to be worse then they were 10 years ago. Replay can be used as a crutch. That is the bad thing about replay.

They should grade officials based on performance and get rid of the ones qho don't make the grade. If they held officials to a very high standard, there would be little need for replay.

[Eric]

I have an idea, why don't the refs be more intelligent about their decisions to review the calls? Well, I know about the replay official telling the refs wether or not to challenge, so give the refs the decision to replay. I'd have to say, if they have better judgement, this could work out. Unfortunately, we've seen the refs make some terrrible judgement calls.

[Eric]

I guess saying "it would work if the officials were more intelligent about reviews" would be like saying "Hitler would've been a good leader if he didn't start WWII!"

[Spence]

......And slaughter 6 million people.

[Eric]

Speaking of that, I do think the number is exaggerated. Not that it isn't terrible, but if you did the math, the number per day is astronomical.

I got that because one day a SJSU Spartan fan said that his team should've won the WAC. I said, if SJSU passed the ball better, ran the ball better, played better defense, and didn't turn the ball over, well, maybe they would've won!

[Spence]

Whether or not the # is exaggerated isn't the point. The number really doesn't matter, the act is the point.

[Spence]

I'm not against replay. I'm just against coaches being able to use it as a strategic tool. The officials should be the ones who decide what needs reviewed. If they can't do it right they should be forced to hunt another line of work.

[mountainman]

Yep, I'm all for getting the calls right too, but the rule will be used by some beyond its intent. Some may call that clever or smart while others question the ethics.

The NCAA sometimes appears to be either naive, silly or just plain stupid. Take this 12th game for the regular season that kicks in this year. The NCAA said they were hopeful that the schools would match up with some 'big games', but here's an instance of what can happen when they are shortsighted.

There's a bidding war going on now at some schools for a "cupcake" to fill out the schedule. Even though there is a contract in place some schools are offering big sums of money for the cupcakes to break those contracts and reschedule a game with them.

It's reported to be going on between Buffalo, West Virginia and Auburn right now. WVU and Buffalo have a contract, that has been in place for some time, where Buffalo gets $300K guarantee and has a $200k buyout. Along comes Auburn and says to Buffalo we'll guarantee $600k if you break your contract with WVU ..... that's $200k to cover the penality and $400k for Buffalo. Now the MAC and the Big East are involved while both WVU and Auburn have published schedules for this coming season showing Buffalo on their schedule on the same date.

If Buffalo and the MAC let this happen, where does that leave the Mountaineers? They quite possibly would be forced to schedule a 1-AA opponent to replace Buffalo (due to the timing and schedule constraints of potential opponents & WVU).

Something like this has the potential to impact many things this coming season.

My point is that the NCAA needs to think through their rules, regulations, policies and procedures when making these decisions.

[Spence]

They need to think about it, but they don't. Take the polls, for instance, they have eight computer polls, but when the computer come to a conclusion other then the one that is the popular one(coaches, ap) they "tweak" them to suit them. The whole point of the computer polls is to take a lot of the subjectivity out. if you keep changing them, instead of excepting their conclusions, you are adding subjectivity instead of taking it away.

Coaches challenge allows a coach to challenge as many times as he likes as long as he is right. That adds t/o's and extends the game. To counter that the NCAA reduced halftime to 15 minutes in stead of 20. Unless both teams agree, then the go back to 20. In essence, all coaches challenge will do is extend the games and allow TV to get in a few more ads. They also give coaches another strategic tool that wasn't intended in the game of football at the beginning.

The referee's should control replay. They should be held at a high standard and if they can't do their job, someone else should be found to replace them. Weeding out the bad referees is the answer, not giving the coaches another tool and extending the game times.

[mountainman]

Yep, I agree, Spence.

It seems to me that sometimes these NCAA rules guys guys are the type who when they have a flat tire they replace the windshield wipers. I can see replay for a number of reasons because sometimes an official cannot get into position to see a play, be screened from the play, fall down, blink or something.

I mean, what is this coach's challenge supposed to correct? The dag-gum coach is in a worse position to make the call than the official 99+% of the time. What's happening is that an assistant or coordinator up in the press box is calling down and telling the guys on the sidelines that the official missed the call. They do have advantage over the officials because usually they know what play is going to be run and where to look. I've said this before but, why not put an official up in the press box with them and let him 'buzz' the referee on the field or let any official on the field 'buzz' the replay guys to take a look if need be. Taking it a little further, the officials on the field knows whether or not he saw the play or needs some help. Give the officials the available tools to do their job and let them do it. Don't do something like this and add to the confusion ..... fix the problem (the flat tire not the wipers).

[Spence]

I've said this before but, why not put an official up in the press box with them and let him 'buzz' the referee on the field or let any official on the field 'buzz' the replay guys to take a look if need be.

Exactly right. The only problem I have ever had with replay was that it would grow into something like the NFL has implimented. It took exactly one year for it to start happening. The control of the game should fall to the officials. They are responsible for keeping the game fair and maintaining sportsmanship. Letting coaches have that control changes the game and gives them advantages. Replay shouldn't be a tool of the coaches, it should be a tool of the officials. If it is used correctly it is a good thing, but if they keep expanding the scope of replay then I am firmly against its use.

[mountainman]

This kind of foolishness is what has convinced me is the one of the major reasons the college and university presidents have taken the lead and put themselves in the forefront of the BCS system.

They wouldn't dare let the NCAA manage or be the authority of the BCS. I believe the presidents have made the right decision based on the NCAA's record of how they deal with issues such as this.

[Spence]

I guess my thought is - why not ? you may as well use every means possible to get the correct call made.
you say the officials should control the game. true. however, if they can't get it right, why not use replay to help them. that way someone doesn't get hosed (see michigan in bowl game, usc in the NC game - pains me to say that ). wouldn't you rather have a correct outcome than an incorrect outcome ?

I don't have a problem with replay. It is the coaches challenge I don't like. If the officials use the system in place last year correctly, there is no need for the coaches to have a challenge. If the do not use it correctly, they should find officials who will. Still no good reason for coaches challenge.

The coaches want it because it gives them one more way to intimidate the referees. Coaches work on the refs enough to try and influence subjective calls, such as holding and interference. They don't need another tool.

[Jason G]

I agree with you guys when you say that the control of the game should fall to the officials and that no change was needed from last year except to have all of division 1-A working with the same rules.

As far as length of the games goes, I frequently hope for long games. Every moment I can watch a game is another moment I'm not doing something I would much less prefer to do. College football is often my escape on Saturdays in the fall! That doesn't say too much for me, does it?