If you saw the USC-Cal game last at the LA Colesium, you no doubt noticed 3 things: Patrick Turner caught a touchdown pass in the second quarter to put USC up 10-3 Replays showed that Turner bobled the catch and the ball it hit the ground, a reviewable play that would have been overturned had it been renewed, But for some reason, the team of referees did not review the play, and the Trjans got 7 points they didn’t deserve. Both commenatators, Chris Spielman and Sean McDonough, repeatedly wondered outloud why the play was reviewed. This is why the Pac Ten is the laughing stock of the college football. The teams stink and the referees are even worse. To make matters worse, the touchdown in question came 2 plays after a 20 yard pass play to tight end Anthony McCoy showed him stepping out bounds after the catch, and referees spotting the ball 8 yard further downfield than they should have. The actual and correct spot of the ball is also reviewable, but again for some reason, it was not reviewed. But the big doozy came in the third quarter when Cal score the apparent tying touchdown on a well-excuted screen pass. A late flag came flying, and the refs called it back hitting the Bears with a “Ineligible Man Downfield” penalty without indicating the uniform number of the offender. Replays showed no lineman leaving the line of scimmage, and once again both Spielman and McDonough harped on about the injustice. So the game-tying touchdown was taken off the board for no reason and with no explanation. The referees went on to call a comic 18 penalties against both teams, ruining the tempo of an already ruined game. Is it unreasable to wonder out load if these Pac Ten refs, with Alabama struggling and Penn State loseing earlier in the day, tried to get a team from their conference to Miami by “blowing” game changing calls? Let us not forget last year’s West Virginia-Pitt game, and now let ask the question: Why is instant replay making collge football officiaiting worse than it was?
