I'm flat out saying it - WVU/Pitt refs are downright crooked

[Mr. T]

I hope Pitt got dinner and a movie first.

[Rockober]

West Virginia can't blame anybody. They laid an egg!!!

[lebanoncat]

Probably the worst holding call I've seen this season. And a pretty bad phantom holding call earlier.

Apparently holtz and may must have went off, because during the update they said there will be "spirited" debate about the holding calls after the game.

But Pitt still pulled it off!!!

[Radiated]

Refs didn't matter. But they did suck

[Dwight Schrute]

it really looked like they were protecting (or trying, at least) WVU.

The mountaineer's laid an egg, though. That disappoints me, because as U of L's chief rival, I generally root for them, and I generally like them.

[ryanebelhar]

so the title game will be Ohio State vs. Georgia? :(

[Rockober]

They flat out choked to a bad Pitt team. And I am pleased even though Ohio State will benefit.

[Mr. T]

Luckily it didn't make any difference, but it looked SO BLATANT. Both came after very important gains (one a TD), both were marginal calls anyways, but most telling is that both flags didn't come out as the "hold" was occuring instead only showing up after it was obvious that the play was going to be a big one for Pitt. I think the BE was working hard to try and get one of their teams in the NC game.

[BlueMike]

I wasn't rooting for WVU, why allow the BE to play in the NC game? Then you'd hear about how their conference is the best, blah, blah, blah. I hope Georgia does play against Ohio St. I hope any SEC team plays, and wins, the NC game.

[ukbob]

Some of the most blatant bias calls I have ever seen in this kind of game. It was obvious that the officials wanted a BE team to play for the title.

But Pitt prevailed even with the worse coach in America. That makes me happy.

[Wildcatcrazy11]

Perhaps a somewhat useless attepmt to correct this stupid BCS system by getting the team that "should win" to win.

[Wildcatcrazy11]

I wasn't rooting for WVU, why allow the BE to play in the NC game? Then you'd hear about how their conference is the best, blah, blah, blah. I hope Georgia does play against Ohio St. I hope any SEC team plays, and wins, the NC game.

Georgia has no business being in the national championship game. When the arguement could be made that they are the 4th best team in their own conference.... I hate the BCS this is a joke.

I agree though an SEC team needs to be in.

[Coldstream]

so the title game will be Ohio State vs. Georgia? :(

If Mizzou goes down, I think it will definitely be OSU in the title game but LSU, IMO, leapfrogs Georgia since they are SEC Champs and lost both games in OT while Georgia didn't even win its own division (East).

[BlueMike]

If Mizzou goes down, I think it will definitely be OSU in the title game but LSU, IMO, leapfrogs Georgia since they are SEC Champs and lost both games in OT while Georgia didn't even when its own division (East).

Doesn't matter to me, either one, as long as it's an SEC team and they beat down Ohio St. I don't know if a #7 LSU can jump over a Virginia Tech team that won today as well as idle Kansas and Georgia. It would be nice for LSU to get to the NC game and win it. We'd have beaten the national champions. It's impossible to say who it will be, voters are weird and attempting to determine who they'll vote for is impossible. I just want an SEC team in it, that's all.

[Kantukeeslim]

WVU did lose their starting QB(one of it's two best players) in the 2nd. White is a large part of their offense.

I mean how well would UK have done in any game where Woodson dislocates his thumb.

[lighthouse]

It never ceases to amaze me how everyone can assume that officials are bias, crooked, and/or cheaters. The Big East has had it's share of poorly officiated games this year, with some terrible mistakes by even the replay booth officials, but mistakes doesn't make an official crooked. I didn't see the game mentioned, and obviously there were missed calls, but give them a break, a person can make a mistake and not be a criminal.

Come on guys, ever make a mistake and it made you look bad? I certainly have.

[jkeller]

It never ceases to amaze me how everyone can assume that officials are bias, crooked, and/or cheaters. The Big East has had it's share of poorly officiated games this year, with some terrible mistakes by even the replay booth officials, but mistakes doesn't make an official crooked. I didn't see the game mentioned, and obviously there were missed calls, but give them a break, a person can make a mistake and not be a criminal.

Come on guys, ever make a mistake and it made you look bad? I certainly have.

You are right, no one is perfect.

But what was extremely suspect to me was the delay in the flag being thrown on both the would be touchdown run and the would be third down conversion. The guy didn't even reach for the flag until the play was over, suggesting that if WV had succeeded in stopping the play, a flag would have never been thrown. Kind of like in basketball when they sometimes wait to see if the shot is a make or a miss before they call a foul.

It would have been one thing if he had thought he'd seen holding and immediately made a call.

[UedK]

It never ceases to amaze me how everyone can assume that officials are bias, crooked, and/or cheaters. The Big East has had it's share of poorly officiated games this year, with some terrible mistakes by even the replay booth officials, but mistakes doesn't make an official crooked. I didn't see the game mentioned, and obviously there were missed calls, but give them a break, a person can make a mistake and not be a criminal.

Come on guys, ever make a mistake and it made you look bad? I certainly have.

I saw it. The ref in question on the pass interference/holding calls didn't just make a mistake. I don't believe the premeditated bias but perhaps it was a combination of a subconcious bias, incompetance and sporatic brain deadedness.

[ukcatfan]

WVAs Heismann's candidates disappeared in the most important game of the year for WVA.

White gets hurt too easily (S Florida & PItt games)

Slayton--9 carries--11 yards

[Mr. T]

It never ceases to amaze me how everyone can assume that officials are bias, crooked, and/or cheaters. The Big East has had it's share of poorly officiated games this year, with some terrible mistakes by even the replay booth officials, but mistakes doesn't make an official crooked. I didn't see the game mentioned, and obviously there were missed calls, but give them a break, a person can make a mistake and not be a criminal.

Come on guys, ever make a mistake and it made you look bad? I certainly have.


It never ceases to amaze me that people always assume that they can't be. I mean we've never heard of an official shaving points... oh wait, we did just this year in the NBA. I am sorry, but officials are just like the rest of the population, some have integrity and some do not.

Being as you didn't see the calls in question I would say that you have no leverage in making any kind of judgement. I did see them. I have no reason to be biased in this case and just call it like I see it.

Two very quesionable hold called on Pitt. It wasn't just the fact that the calls were made, but both were made very late after the supposed "hold" had already happened and only after it was apparent that Pitt would either score or get the first down. Exactly ONE play later, one of the most blatant holds of the night occurs against a Pitt WR right in front of the official and nothing gets called. I believe it was the same official with all 3 calls (or non call), I know 2 of them were.

Oh and just ask anyone that is regularly on the chats during the game. I am always one that is saying the refs AREN'T against us, so it's not like I have some big conspiracy theory or anything.

[bwright]

The thing about the holding call against Pitt is, the official right in front of the play didn't call it but the official 15 yards back did. He was so far away that the flag didn't even reach the point where the play happened. I just do not understand how he can think he seen a hold when the guy right there did not.

[cumberlandredskin]

Most blantant bias officiating I think I have ever seen. Those refs should be fired. But it wouldn't surprise me that the Big East, at least, hinted in telling them to give WVU every break they could so they would have WVU in championship game. After that second "holding" call I was really hoping Pitt would win it. I'm glad WVU didn't win. They didn't deserve to win after playing so horribly against a 4-7 team.

[Wildcat Larry]

Officials have no accountabiliy except to a supervisor of officials whe was one of them until a few years ago. That's certainly not unbiased accountability.

There are bad officials, officials without integrity and officials that owe more money than they make ...... just like the rest of the population. Just the same as coaches, players and fans with the same traits.

To take it to a level higher, there are conference officials that are lacking in integrity, so to say there are no officials with integrity problems is like saying the all priests are beyond reproach. At least the priests have public accountability.

Rant off.

P.S. -- I didn't see the game, so I can't comment on any calls.

[rsjones1983]

Having watched the game, that pass interference call was one of the poorest calls I've ever seen, and if you heard what Dave Wandstadt said about the call, he made it pretty clear how he felt.

[poodoo]

FWIW, I had heard ESPN discussing the horrible calls Pittsburgh had received the day after the game. Personally, I did not watch the game. Last night, though, out of the blue, Mr. Poodoo, who had watched the game, said that Pittsburgh had received absolutely horrible, indefensible calls. I immediately remembered the ESPN comments AND thought that West Virginia's winning the game would have obviously put a Big East team in the national championship game.

There is no one here that I respect more than lighthouse. Too, I likewise don't choose to call any official a "cheater" (although there are dishonest folks in every field of work, unfortunately, and the NBA incident is ceratainly an example of that). Having said that, since officials are human, I think calls by SOME can be influenced by what the heart badly wants to see. I do think it happens, and something evidently happened in that particular game, based on the responses to the officiating.

Specifically, in regard to the holding call after Pitt had completed a big play, we've seen that happen far too often to UK with its lesser tradition. I do believe some officials SOMETIMES simply blow the whistle on those according to which team they feel is better and deserving. I'll never forget that Coach Curry, a former offensive lineman himself, once said that holding is a very subjective call that could technically be called on most every play.

Again, I do think, though, that most mistakes are simply unintentional, agreeing with lighthouse, who I feel totally sure has always been TOTALLY fair and honest as an official. :) By the way, I wish I had watched the game and could share my actual reactions to calls. :)

[lighthouse]

FWIW, I talked with another retired official the other night about the comments on this game. He is a retired SEC football official and watched the game. He said there was 1 holding call that was a terrible call, and he had no idea why it was called. He also said the call had no bearing on the outcome of the game.

I take every comment about officiating, good or bad, very seriously, and I try my very best to find out the details from experienced, unbiased professionals who give me the straight story, and then I report it on this board. My only reason for doing this is so Kentucky Fans will have a better understanding about officiating, and hopefully enjoy the games more.

[NOWIS]

The holding calls that were made, and the one that wasn't had no bearing on the outcome of the game that is true, but they sure could have. If you call back a td that would make it a two score lead with time running out that can definitely effect the outcome.

[poodoo]

FWIW, I talked with another retired official the other night about the comments on this game. He is a retired SEC football official and watched the game. He said there was 1 holding call that was a terrible call, and he had no idea why it was called. He also said the call had no bearing on the outcome of the game.

I take every comment about officiating, good or bad, very seriously, and I try my very best to find out the details from experienced, unbiased professionals who give me the straight story, and then I report it on this board. My only reason for doing this is so Kentucky Fans will have a better understanding about officiating, and hopefully enjoy the games more.

Thanks for doing that, lighthouse. It is very much appreciated in this corner. :)