After my neighbor and I got back home from the Hog game we decided to watch the targeting call on Catalon. Fortunately, my wife bought me a large, high-def, flat screen with quality frame by frame slow-mo for my birthday and it is mounted in the man cave. Probably because she gets tired of trying to talk to me during the games! I am all good with that!
Worth mentioning that my neighbor is a former NFL player.
The targeting call was blatantly a bad call with high potential to effect the outcome and benefit the highly visible defending national champions. Footnote….the LSU (defending national champion) and Bama (top ranked team in the country) game was postponed. There is rumor of a make up game between LSU and Bama, btw.
Then we need some more football for our weekly fix and eventually turned on the Georgia/Miss State game.
There was a call in the 2nd half that requires close examination. The game was obviously close. Georgia was called for intentional grounding and it was clearly, by every definition, intentional grounding. The flag was picked up quickly (shortest video review since the invention of replays……indisputable evidence to overturn, correct?) and even the sportscasters were dumbfounded as to why they reversed that call. We were going like, “what is going on?”
Blatantly a bad call with high potential to effect the outcome. The Gerogia Bulldogs are also a national brand of considerable $ value to the SEC.
First rule of conflict in business when things are not making sense? Check the money trail. Then work backwards from there. More often than not, you will find the problem.
It is no secret that athletic departments at Colleges and Universities across the country are borrowing large sums of money to sustain operations to get thru this pandemic. Creating a financial deficit each school is trying to mimimize.
Ask yourself the following three questions:
1)Is it potentially financially beneficial for the SEC (and it’s member institutions) for LSU to win Hog game?
2) Is it financially beneficial for the SEC (and it’s member institutions) for Georgia to win the MS State game?
3) Does the SEC really need the LSU/Bama game to played?
You can see where I am going. Let’s continue a little.
Let’s throw in another interesting factual tidbit.
The pre seasons lowest ranked team in the SEC West: Arkansas. The SEC arbitrarily assigns the Hogs to host Georgia and then play at Florida. Pretty well a lock for a W for two best teams in the SEC East who were both ranked in the preseason polls. Does anyone else find that interesting?
Let’s take it one step further, OK?
This is obviously going to be a very different and difficult financial season for bowl games. It would seem that it would be financially difficult/maybe impossible, for schools to guarantee tickets sales when the nature of the pandemic simply will not allow packed stadiums. Someone needs to verify if schools are still guaranteeing tickets sales to the administrators of the Bowl games? The bowl games are not non profit organizations. They need to make money to exist and there is very little juice in that grape this year.
If my theory is far fetched and incorrect, then, in our opinion, we clearly have officials gambling on the outcome.
Those two officiating calls were blatantly wrong. No grey area. None.
It will be interesting to see how the SEC (officiating division) responds to Hunter Yurachek’s complaint about the targeting call. Not allowing Catalon to play in the first half could easily effect the outcome of the Hog game at Missouri. If they reverse the call and allow Catalon to play in the first half, they will be admitting the officials were wrong. Cannot wait to see how this dog is going to hunt.
Would like to hear your thoughts? Feel free to tell me you think I have lost my mind, you will not be the first!
In all honesty, I hope we are wrong. If, by chance, we are correct, the remnants of amateur sports (college) have officially crossed an uncrossable line. The SEC is not that stupid are they? Impossible to get the shit back in the cow!!