The Big Ten has taken a step toward using instant replay in football games, implementing a pilot program to determine whether to use it for real in the future.
Commissioner Jim Delany said Thursday the conference would use a test program for a handful of games this season to determine the effects of replay.
It will be based on the NFL's system of limited challenges and won't disrupt play on the field. An independent person hired by the conference will decide which plays should be challenged based on game situations. The plays will be reviewed based on the television feed.
"I can see the case for and against replay," Delany said. "Reasonable people can differ. I've seen video used in college basketball and the NBA in a reasonable way. I question to some extent the amount it is used in the NFL. I can see how it has an effect that's negative. I can see the positives as well."
Reaction among a trio of Mississippi coaches was mostly negative.
"The game's long enough, and to me, that would be a major expense," said Southern Miss coach Jeff Bower. "How many cameras would you need? Then, you'd need all the video. That would be an expense that I think would be unnecessary. Look at all the major college football programs right now that are operating in the red. Now, you want to have a major expense like that?
"I don't watch much pro football, but I really get tired of all the standing around.
"There's human error in the game. There's human error in coaching. There's human error in playing. There's going to be human error in officiating. Just go play. The game's getting long enough with all the TV commercials and everybody throwing the football."
Mississippi State coach Jackie Sherrill would like to see an NFL-style replay system for the Southeastern Conference, although Sherrill suggests it wouldn't be practical.
"You want anything that gives you the correct call, but who's going to pay for it?," Sherrill said. "Only certain sectors of schools could (afford) it. The NCAA's not going to pay for it."
Said Jackson State coach James Bell: "I really don't care what they do. But my preference would be not to do it. It takes away from the naturalness of the game. And the game is long enough as it is."
Bell suggested that adopting instant replay in the Southwestern Athletic Conference would result in games "getting over at midnight."
The Big Ten coaches voted unanimously in favor of using replay in games, while athletic directors were split. A study by Big Ten head of officiating Dave Perry determined that about 15-to-20 calls would have been overturned in 76 games last year if the conference had the NFL system.
In the NFL last year, 294 plays were reviewed and 94 calls were overturned in 256 regular season games.
In order to use replay in games, the Big Ten would need a waiver from the NCAA. Delany said before that happens he would seek approval from university presidents because of the multimillion-dollar cost of replay and would hope to get other conferences on board.
The NFL spent about $10 million to implement its program and several million a year to run it. Delany said the Big Ten could use a less expensive system.
"It changes the nature of the game," Delany said. "It is expensive. I don't want to do it in a second-rate way. We don't need to spend what the NFL spends, but we don't want to do it with an antenna on a coat hanger. It could be a modified system. When you introduce something like this, less is more. The NFL rightly concluded that less is more. They really restricted the kind of plays that can be challenged."
The study of officiating came in response to a request last year from Penn State athletic director Tim Curley after several high-profile controversial calls last season.
The Big Ten estimated that there were about 4.1 "flaws" per game last season by officials, which is more than double what the NFL has but in line with other college conferences and past years in the Big Ten, Delany said.
Replays of controversial calls will be prohibited from being shown on stadium video boards.
"The boundary seems to be blurred a bit between the field and the stands," Delany said. "We've seen in the college game, especially basketball, fans directing venom at other teams' student athletes. We think that's excessive and wrong."
After an initial warning, Delany said schools would be called out publicly for fan misbehavior and possibly disciplined if the behavior continues.
http://www.clarionledger.com/news/0308/15/s02.html
Commissioner Jim Delany said Thursday the conference would use a test program for a handful of games this season to determine the effects of replay.
It will be based on the NFL's system of limited challenges and won't disrupt play on the field. An independent person hired by the conference will decide which plays should be challenged based on game situations. The plays will be reviewed based on the television feed.
"I can see the case for and against replay," Delany said. "Reasonable people can differ. I've seen video used in college basketball and the NBA in a reasonable way. I question to some extent the amount it is used in the NFL. I can see how it has an effect that's negative. I can see the positives as well."
Reaction among a trio of Mississippi coaches was mostly negative.
"The game's long enough, and to me, that would be a major expense," said Southern Miss coach Jeff Bower. "How many cameras would you need? Then, you'd need all the video. That would be an expense that I think would be unnecessary. Look at all the major college football programs right now that are operating in the red. Now, you want to have a major expense like that?
"I don't watch much pro football, but I really get tired of all the standing around.
"There's human error in the game. There's human error in coaching. There's human error in playing. There's going to be human error in officiating. Just go play. The game's getting long enough with all the TV commercials and everybody throwing the football."
Mississippi State coach Jackie Sherrill would like to see an NFL-style replay system for the Southeastern Conference, although Sherrill suggests it wouldn't be practical.
"You want anything that gives you the correct call, but who's going to pay for it?," Sherrill said. "Only certain sectors of schools could (afford) it. The NCAA's not going to pay for it."
Said Jackson State coach James Bell: "I really don't care what they do. But my preference would be not to do it. It takes away from the naturalness of the game. And the game is long enough as it is."
Bell suggested that adopting instant replay in the Southwestern Athletic Conference would result in games "getting over at midnight."
The Big Ten coaches voted unanimously in favor of using replay in games, while athletic directors were split. A study by Big Ten head of officiating Dave Perry determined that about 15-to-20 calls would have been overturned in 76 games last year if the conference had the NFL system.
In the NFL last year, 294 plays were reviewed and 94 calls were overturned in 256 regular season games.
In order to use replay in games, the Big Ten would need a waiver from the NCAA. Delany said before that happens he would seek approval from university presidents because of the multimillion-dollar cost of replay and would hope to get other conferences on board.
The NFL spent about $10 million to implement its program and several million a year to run it. Delany said the Big Ten could use a less expensive system.
"It changes the nature of the game," Delany said. "It is expensive. I don't want to do it in a second-rate way. We don't need to spend what the NFL spends, but we don't want to do it with an antenna on a coat hanger. It could be a modified system. When you introduce something like this, less is more. The NFL rightly concluded that less is more. They really restricted the kind of plays that can be challenged."
The study of officiating came in response to a request last year from Penn State athletic director Tim Curley after several high-profile controversial calls last season.
The Big Ten estimated that there were about 4.1 "flaws" per game last season by officials, which is more than double what the NFL has but in line with other college conferences and past years in the Big Ten, Delany said.
Replays of controversial calls will be prohibited from being shown on stadium video boards.
"The boundary seems to be blurred a bit between the field and the stands," Delany said. "We've seen in the college game, especially basketball, fans directing venom at other teams' student athletes. We think that's excessive and wrong."
After an initial warning, Delany said schools would be called out publicly for fan misbehavior and possibly disciplined if the behavior continues.
http://www.clarionledger.com/news/0308/15/s02.html
