Referee Regionalization - Improved FCS Officiating

[TexasTerror]

Today at the SLC Media Days, they had Byron Boston (former NFL referee, his son is David Boston), who is the SLC officiating czar for football.

He talked about the officiating consortium that the Southland Conference is a part of. If you recall, we had a deal with the Big 12, but this year it's really regionalized and formalized with the WAC, Mountain West and Conference USA all involved in our 'region'.

Boston says that we're going to see more regionalizing and the SLC/Big 12 is ahead of the game in this regard.

Says the Missouri Valley has contacted the SLC to learn more about the process as they are looking to get involved in a similar regional consortium.

This is going to go leaps and bounds to improve the officiating, if the FCS officials are working hand-in-hand with the FBS officials and beyond. The SLC already has quite a bit of Big 12 officials working games on a regular basis.

We'll see what other conferences get into regional groups...perhaps the SWAC will get in with the SLC/Big 12 led group...

[CSUBUCDAD]

Wow, it would be great to see the SoCon and Big South team with the SEC and/or ACC.

[TexasTerror]

Wow, it would be great to see the SoCon and Big South team with the SEC and/or ACC.

We'll see. It only makes sense, because the future ACC/SEC refs are the same guys from the So Con and Big South, are they not?

[Appaholic]

It would be great to see the Socon officials team with refs at Watauga HS.......sorry officiating....xsmhx

[CSUBUCDAD]

We'll see. It only makes sense, because the future ACC/SEC refs are the same guys from the So Con and Big South, are they not?

Ditto

[SuperJon]

The Big South uses ACC officials.

[blueballs]

The only crews I've seen in FCS that are anywhere near as inept as the SoCon is the MEAC... therefore for the $EC and ACC to team up with the SoCon would be the equivilent to Anna Kournakova spending the night at the homeless shelter.

[McNeese75]

The only crews I've seen in FCS that are anywhere near as inept as the SoCon is the MEAC... therefore for the $EC and ACC to team up with the SoCon would be the equivilent to Anna Kournakova spending the night at the homeless shelter.

xlolx Wait until you get a dose of a SWAC crew xbawlingx

[93henfan]

So long as the MEAC regionalizes somewhere other than wherever Delaware is playing, I think it's a great idea.

[BeauFoster]

The only crews I've seen in FCS that are anywhere near as inept as the SoCon is the MEAC... therefore for the $EC and ACC to team up with the SoCon would be the equivilent to Anna Kournakova spending the night at the homeless shelter.

I thought that some of the SoCon officials were the JVs from the ACC. At least that is the story I have always been told...

[patssle]

SLC officials use to be VERY inept before they put this new system into place last year. Last year the officiating was GREAT and I was very happy with the results.

Now if only we can something about basketball...

[TexasTerror]

As I told you on KatFans, the SLC is already part of a referee consortium under Dale Kelley (who does C-USA, Big 12 and Sun Belt -- if I am not mistaken).

And then we have the whole Wednesday/Saturday issue, for which I am sure you can give Billy Tubbs a call.

He pushed and was able to get the SLC schedule to be Wednesday and Saturday.

Sun Belt moved men's games to Thursday from Wednesdays in an effort to get better officials. The Big 12 and C-USA plays on Wednesdays, so that was coming into play officiating-wise.

Perhaps he can tell you what playing on Wednesdays does for the conference. SLC just made the officiating worse...but hey, Billy Tubbs thinks it's a good idea.

[GannonFan]

So long as the MEAC regionalizes somewhere other than wherever Delaware is playing, I think it's a great idea.

Even regionalization can't fix the disaster that is MEAC officiating. Better just to disband and get rid of those referees altogether and just outsource it entirely.

[BearsCountry]

I know for basketball, the same crews that do Big 12 and Big Ten games do MVC ones as well.

[gophoenix]

Wow, it would be great to see the SoCon and Big South team with the SEC and/or ACC.

Aren't they already?

From what I understand, the SoCon, ACC, Big South, CUSA, A-Sun, CAA (basically everyone in the area except MEAC, CIAA, etc) basically contract to the refs on a game by game basis. The good, more experienced refs get the better games, and on down they go to the bottom games. The same refs could be doing a D-II game one weekend, D-III the next and one of ours the week later. The SoCon office is in charge of disciplining or marking refs as "will not use" etc. Basically, the better you are, basically you get the "first call" so the ACC games get the better refs. And it goes down the rung to the worst refs and least experienced refs getting the very bottom games, which could be USA South or ODAC type games.

No one employs a core of refs anymore around here. They essentially have a list of approved refs they will use.

[Golden Eagle]

The OVC uses SEC officials.

[bluehenbillk]

Someone send the MEAC some help. I want nothing to do with their "refs".

[93henfan]

Someone send the MEAC some help. I want nothing to do with their "refs".

I think we're being a little harsh on the MEAC refs. Sure, they may be completely incompetent on the field, but at least they keep themselves in great shape:

http://www.gohens.net/images/National%20Championship%20-%20Appalachian%20State/asu0040.jpg

[TexasTerror]

The SLC is the only FCS conference mentioned amongst the groupings of officiating...

To avoid those horror stories, Parry has already started traveling the country to reach out to officials. Meeting are already in place grouping the Big Ten, Atlantic Coast, Big East and Mid-American conferences, and then the Big 12, Conference USA, Mountain West and Southland conferences.

http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080726/SPORTS10/807260368/1001/Sports