Instant Replay: the Man with the Plan.

[bighousemike84]

According to espn http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5226943, the Big East commisioner John Marinatto has suggested the NCAA exam its current instant replay system. In particular the NCAA is going to study whether or not to change the policy of who makes the call on the replay. The NFL allows the Referee to make the call on the field, in NCAA there is a designated official in the press box who makes the call. Obviously I would want to see the Referee make the call because no call made on the field should be ruled over by an unbiased party in a little booth. What do you guys think, you like the system as is or do you think the NCAA should change it?

[bluefan]

Obviously I would want to see the Referee make the call because no call made on the field should be ruled over by an unbiased party in a little booth.

Not sure what you're doing with that sentence.

I really don't care who makes the call as long as the person making the call is unbiased and makes the right call. I think there should be at least 2 people watching the replay and they discuss it with each other and then decide.

[bighousemike84]

I really don't care who makes the call as long as the person making the call is unbiased and makes the right call. I think there should be at least 2 people watching the replay and they discuss it with each other and then decide.

Ok but that doesnt happen. Under the current system an "unbiased" 3rd party sits in an enclosed, soundproof booth with a monitor. When a play goes under review the 3rd party gets images of the questionable play on his monitor. The referee on the field is wearing a headset in order to be in communication with the man in the booth but that referee(who has to go out and make the call, right or wrong) doesnt ever get to see any replay of the play.

Almost always, the 3rd party is an older or retired conference official, so, I would hope that they are making the correct call. But often times we see a bad call made and the on field Referee has to go out in front of the players, coaches, and fans and make the call and enforce it without ever having seen the play in question. This should not happen.

[tpilews]

I'd have to do a bit of research into the current system before I made an informed decision. However, I did find this interesting piece of information. The replay system used Standard Definition replay television. So, guys that are making judgment calls about inches and quarter inches, aren't getting a perfectly clear representation in the booth. The Big 10 is installing HD replay systems for the 2010 season, so that takes care of that situation. However, it just amazes me that it wasn't already implemented. There was no mention of other conferences using HD in 2010, only the Big 10.

EDIT: just found that the MAC and SEC are also going to HD replay. No other conferences committed yet.

[Revelli]

I need to know more as well. One thing I'd like to know is the percentage of overturned on-field-calls after the replay system was initiated. How many "bad calls" were really being made on the field by these referees before we went to instant replay monitoring? I'm glad to hear that they are going to HD though. That makes it a little better.

[bighousemike84]

All im saying is this: You have 7 officials on a field plus 2 extra officials on the sideline. Why should a replay be determined by someone in an enclosed booth, who is not an on field official? As far as im concerned it is a good thing when the officials on the field are the ones who make the final call. They are the ones with firsthand knowledge of the play in question, the replay should simply be a tool used by those on field officials to help them examine, in greater detail, certain aspects of a play in question.