ACC officials are watching the Big Ten this season as more than casual fans.
Beginning this season, the Big Ten has implemented instant replay during college football games on a trial basis. ACC officials are deciding whether to follow its lead.
“It is a very novel idea,” ACC Associate Commissioner Jeff Elliott said. “We are definitely going to observe what happens with the Big Ten.”
Major questions remain, however, about costs, fairness and interruptions to the game.
“I think we’ve got really good officiating in the ACC,” Duke head coach Ted Roof said. “I don’t want anything that’s going to make the game any longer.”
The Big Ten received permission from the NCAA last February to implement the replay system. The NFL began using its current instant replay format in 1999, but the Big Ten system differs significantly from the on-the-field review used in professional games.
The NFL’s instant replay format operates on a challenge basis in which a coach must request a review until the final two minutes of each half.
The Big Ten’s system, however, takes the decision out of the coach’s hands, as a “technical advisor” off the field calls for any replays. If the Big Ten booth official sees evidence of an incorrect call he halts the game and reviews the available video footage.
The technical advisor, with no limit to how many plays he can review or overturn, makes the decision to overturn a call and may only do so if there is indisputable video evidence. The on-field officials take no part in the review process.
“I think if you’re going to have a replay system, the one we have in place seems at this moment to make some sense,” said Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel, after the system was used once during his team’s game against Marshall last week. “I’m not for a full-blown, coach throw-in-the-red-flag, sit-and-look-through-the-monitors type system, but so far, so good.”
Even with instant replay’s advantages, college football has hesitated to institute the system primarily because of high costs and questions about fairness.
By limiting reviews to the booth, the Big Ten is spending less on equipment than the NFL, which has spent millions on training officials and purchasing equipment. Still, costs could escalate for some colleges, especially those schools that do not have televised games.
The Big Ten is forking out less money because 90 percent of its games are already on television. The conference provides video equipment for the few games that are not televised and has outfitted its stadiums with replay technology.
In comparison, only 69 percent of ACC conference games were televised in 2003, and only two of eight Duke games were on television. The ACC would therefore need to provide the video recording equipment for a larger number of games, meaning greater costs would be passed on to the member schools.
The other issue in the debate on instant replay is fairness. Football purists have argued that human error is a part of the game. But in an era when a bowl appearance can generate millions of dollars for a school and a conference, more emphasis is being placed on accuracy.
During the 2003 season, the Big Ten collected data from all 68 televised home games to test the potential for instant replay. The study found that 42 plays would have necessitated a replay, 23 of which would have been overturned. The league found that the mistakes had a significant effect on the outcome of eight games.
“We are going to do anything we can do to make sure we get the right call as long as it doesn’t detract from the game,” ACC Assistant Commissioner Mike Finn said.
Other naysayers say the system would be impossible to install in smaller conferences. Under NCAA rules, only the Big Ten is allowed to use the system in 2004. Interconference games played at Big Ten schools are also permitted to use replay if the visiting team consents.
Finn said the ACC’s decision will depend on a number of factors, but the NCAA must give the go0ahead before the ACC could implement the system.
“We’re going to see the positives and the negatives of the system and then we will decide at the end of the year whether or not to try it,” Finn said. “Also much of it depends on what the NCAA decides to do, as this is a trial system at this point.”
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