Big Ten may have made a very costly mistake

By Tom Dienhart - SportingNews






Did the Big Ten make a $4.5 million mistake by allowing an officiating crew that was facing a suspension this weekend to work last Saturday's Illinois-Ohio State game?

As I reported last week, a source told me the conference plans to suspend the crew that officiated the Nov. 3 Purdue-Penn State game based on a review of its work in that game. That same crew worked one of the biggest Big Ten games of the year last weekend in Columbus.

Incredible.

Why would the Big Ten assign the crew -- a few of whom could be fired for their work in the Purdue-Penn State game -- to a game of this importance?

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The Big Ten does not comment on specific officiating issues.

The crew includes referee Stephen Pamon, umpire Pat Bayers, linesman Jack Teitz, line judge Robert Davis, back judge Dennis Morris, field judge Bobby Sagers and side judge Joe Duncan.

That group called just three penalties, one on Illinois and two on Ohio State. And a few perceived non-calls have Buckeye Nation angry. Many more fans are upset knowing this crew was running the game.

Were there blown calls? That's debatable. But perception matters more than reality. And the reality is this crew shouldn't have been trusted with such a game.

And how's this for another megadose of reality? The loss cost No. 1 Ohio State a shot at playing for the BCS title. What's more, that loss hurt the Big Ten's chances of sending a second school to a BCS bowl, which would net the conference an additional $4.5 million.

Now, the Big Ten will have to be satisfied with getting just one BCS team. The winner of this weekend's Ohio State at Michigan game will go to the Rose Bowl.

Tom Dienhart is a staff writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at tdienhart@sportingnews.com.

that crew did the nation a big favor. its good that OSU wont be in the national title game, they never deserved it in the first place. they were lucky everyone ahead of them lost a game while OSU played a cupcake schedule. remember what happened the last time OSU played a SEC school in the title game? Florida totally crushed them, LSU would have done the same. OSU never deserved to be #1 and never deserved to play in the national title game.

How is OSU overrated? Didn't everyone say Miami would beat them in 2002? Not too many teams have made as many BCS games as they have, and they've only lost one. And don't forget the game was tied when Ginn limped off. Report It

Even if the questionable call had not been made there is no guaranty that the officiating lost the game for OSU. Personally I think Illinois played a great game and everyone is diminishing that fact by going on and on about things like this.

that really is funny...hope they officiate the championship game too

I think it is hogwash. No way the crew devised some evil plan to ensure Illinois won the game. Even if there were some bad calls, Ohio State, being the number one team in the nation should have overcome them..against a non-ranked opponent! period.

This story almost suggests that the crew should have made sure OSU won the game so the Big Ten could make more MONEY... That is the part I find disturbing.

A few calls don't determine the outcome. Illinois gained more yards and allowed less, they scored more points, and played a better game. They won.

Robert i dont think hes saying that Illinois was handed the game. Im a diehard OSU fan through and through and ill be the first to admit Illinois played a hel of a game. Calls or not they deserved that win and OSU had plenty of chances to win that game.

As for answering the question, i feel that it was a bad decision on the big 10's part because they had to know that this would spark controversy either way. If illinois loses in a close one then the big 10 is trying to ensure 2 teams making it into the BCS, if OSU loses in a close one then they are sabotaging OSU. Either way at this point it doesnt matter but still was a bad decision.


***Also like to add for Richard

Your an idiot.

The Big-10 is so lousy this year that if they had two teams in BCS bowls, the whole country would boycott.

Cut the refs some slack. At least this year we won't have to watch Ohio State get rolled over in the championship game. They were a much better team last year and still made the Big Ten look like the Mid-American Conference. The Big Ten and its refs suck! Hopefully the same refs will show up at the big house on Saturday so Ohio State will have someone to blame when they finally lose to Michigan. BLUuuuuuue!

if Ohio St would have won that game do you honestly think he would have written this column????

it wasn't a big game, because if it was it would had been seen nation wide.

second the Big Ten did nothing this year or last to deserve more than one BCS spot. if possible i wouldnt even give them that one spot.

if you saw the game ohio st got beat. how many times do you hear announcers say that was a bad call, the ref should had let them play.

i wonder where this guy went to school. maybe a Big Ten school.

sounds like a lot of crying over spilled milk! if osu would have won, then we would never have heard about this!

I guess the officiating crew made it impossible for the Buckeyes not to be able to stop Juice Williams on third and fourth down. It was the officiating crew, and not the Illini offensive line, that blew open huge holes in the OSU defense, allowing Juice to waltz to first down after first down in the fourth quarter when the guys in the blimp could have told you who was getting the ball.

Hell, the Big Ten barely deserves to send one team to the BCS. God forbid they should be allowed to send two.

The big ten made a 17 million dollar mistake, that's what they would have gotten had OSU made it to the NCS game.