The NC Officiating in 4 Images

[coloradocat]

There must have been a point of emphasis in the last few years to minimize measurements. It seldom ever happens these days. Likely part of the desire to shorten games for TV. If it’s close they will give it to the offense. It’s happened all year and we have been on both sides of it a bunch.

Measurements seem like a great opportunity for split screen ads. I'm surprised they aren't doing it more.

[ZebraCat]

It's the NC. Why not get a Big 10 or SEC crew?

That's what I was thinking. There are only two other crews in the entire country working this week. Get somebody good.

Good way to lose officials, which no sport at any level can a afford.

I guess but are the FBS officials not under the jurisdiction of the NCAA? Earlier this season there was discussion about the impact of the old PAC teams moving to the BIG 10 depleting the ref pool because the BSC shares with the western FBS conferences. That makes it seem like they are all kind of jumbled together to some degree.

The NCAA should ensure their championships are conducted at a championship level. I assume we already didn't get the best FCS crew in the country since they weren't BSC or MVFC due to the teams playing.

For football, each conference, both FBS and FCS, has a director of officials, and/or an assigner. The director may do both, especially at the FCS level. Each FCS conference is "partnered" with at least one FBS conference for development and advancement of officials. In the past, the BSC worked with the MWC and PAC. Officials that the MWC and PAC identified as future officials would start in the BSC and work as alternates for crews in the MWC after two of three years. The same was true of MWC officials working in the PAC. That will probably be full go again next season. The PAC will get the best of those officials that the Big 10 doesn't use very often, the next best will be MWC officials, and the rest will remain in the BSC. Yes, the officials all fall under NCAA jurisdiction, but they are all lead and directed by their own leaders. The FBS leaders would be sending a strong and poor message to their FCS counterparts if they jumped in and took the championship game.

The championship game also rotates through each conference that accepts a bid to the playoffs. There are some stipulations, which is why you will never see a Pioneer crew on a title game. It was the Southland's year, and apparently they suck as a conference.

Your explanation further validates the use of FBS officials for the FCS championship. If FCS officials are basically being trained in the FCS and then promoted to FBS, there is zero reasoning to use a lower quality referee for a championship game. And I highly doubt crews will quit between they don’t a chance to do a title game when they are hoping for a promotion. Damn, I cannot imagine a Big Sky crew doing a title game. Woof!!

Yes and no. Not everybody in the FCS is in the FCS because they aren't good enough to be FBS. If they got into officiating in their late 20s or early 30s and started in HS, then got into FCS, their chances are really slim of getting to the FBS, especially P4. There are a fair number of older officials in the BSC that had kids activities take priority over their officiating careers, and when those kids left home, their officiating journey could only go so far because of their age. Up until 5 or 6 years ago, the BSC, and officiating in general was a lot of who you know and how you look. Athetlic, well built officials was all anybody above FCS wanted. Even at the FCS level that was pretty important. I know a number of guys that work the Frontier Conference that would be some of the best in the BSC, but their kids and jobs take precedence over their officiating aspirations. It's a lot easier to devote a Saturday to officiating than Friday-Sunday.

I would put Kelly Holman's crew (Cat/Griz 1.0) on a national championship game over any crew we saw in the playoffs. There are absolutely some really bad BSC crews, but the two or three best are better than most of what I've seen in the rest of the country.

Valid points. But go with the proven well trained and well paid FBS guys. Giving each conference a chance on a rotation is for JV. If the NCAA wants the FCS to be a marketable commodity, go with the proven and well trained crew.

It's a reward for the guys working that level of football. Should Frontier or BSC guys work their state HS championships because that's where a lot of them came from to begin with? The AA title game rotates between the AA city's pools.

[Cataholic]

It's the NC. Why not get a Big 10 or SEC crew?

That's what I was thinking. There are only two other crews in the entire country working this week. Get somebody good.

Good way to lose officials, which no sport at any level can a afford.

I guess but are the FBS officials not under the jurisdiction of the NCAA? Earlier this season there was discussion about the impact of the old PAC teams moving to the BIG 10 depleting the ref pool because the BSC shares with the western FBS conferences. That makes it seem like they are all kind of jumbled together to some degree.

The NCAA should ensure their championships are conducted at a championship level. I assume we already didn't get the best FCS crew in the country since they weren't BSC or MVFC due to the teams playing.

For football, each conference, both FBS and FCS, has a director of officials, and/or an assigner. The director may do both, especially at the FCS level. Each FCS conference is "partnered" with at least one FBS conference for development and advancement of officials. In the past, the BSC worked with the MWC and PAC. Officials that the MWC and PAC identified as future officials would start in the BSC and work as alternates for crews in the MWC after two of three years. The same was true of MWC officials working in the PAC. That will probably be full go again next season. The PAC will get the best of those officials that the Big 10 doesn't use very often, the next best will be MWC officials, and the rest will remain in the BSC. Yes, the officials all fall under NCAA jurisdiction, but they are all lead and directed by their own leaders. The FBS leaders would be sending a strong and poor message to their FCS counterparts if they jumped in and took the championship game.

The championship game also rotates through each conference that accepts a bid to the playoffs. There are some stipulations, which is why you will never see a Pioneer crew on a title game. It was the Southland's year, and apparently they suck as a conference.

Your explanation further validates the use of FBS officials for the FCS championship. If FCS officials are basically being trained in the FCS and then promoted to FBS, there is zero reasoning to use a lower quality referee for a championship game. And I highly doubt crews will quit between they don’t a chance to do a title game when they are hoping for a promotion. Damn, I cannot imagine a Big Sky crew doing a title game. Woof!!

Yes and no. Not everybody in the FCS is in the FCS because they aren't good enough to be FBS. If they got into officiating in their late 20s or early 30s and started in HS, then got into FCS, their chances are really slim of getting to the FBS, especially P4. There are a fair number of older officials in the BSC that had kids activities take priority over their officiating careers, and when those kids left home, their officiating journey could only go so far because of their age. Up until 5 or 6 years ago, the BSC, and officiating in general was a lot of who you know and how you look. Athetlic, well built officials was all anybody above FCS wanted. Even at the FCS level that was pretty important. I know a number of guys that work the Frontier Conference that would be some of the best in the BSC, but their kids and jobs take precedence over their officiating aspirations. It's a lot easier to devote a Saturday to officiating than Friday-Sunday.

I would put Kelly Holman's crew (Cat/Griz 1.0) on a national championship game over any crew we saw in the playoffs. There are absolutely some really bad BSC crews, but the two or three best are better than most of what I've seen in the rest of the country.

Valid points. But go with the proven well trained and well paid FBS guys. Giving each conference a chance on a rotation is for JV. If the NCAA wants the FCS to be a marketable commodity, go with the proven and well trained crew.

It's a reward for the guys working that level of football. Should Frontier or BSC guys work their state HS championships because that's where a lot of them came from to begin with? The AA title game rotates between the AA city's pools.

I am afraid we are going to disagree on this. The most important factor needs to be “the best referees available”. Not what conference they are from or as an award.