Will having full-time NFL officials make any difference?

NFL officials are again in the cross-hairs of fans, media, and pretty much anybody else that watch football. On Sunday, Packers’ wide receiver Greg Jennings fumbled the football, at least according to most interpretations of the slow-motion replay (including mine). It wasn’t called a fumble on the field, and after video review, it still wasn’t called a fumble. Green Bay went on to score a touchdown. Fortunately for the New York Giants, the play had no effect on the game’s outcome — the G-Men stomped the Pack, ending Green Bay’s stellar season.

Calciopoli Southern Style?

On our Saturday morning post, Breakfast Before Memphis, I referred to the $30,000 fine handed to Urban Meyer as reported in Dr. Saturday’s article, A brief history of the SEC’s descent into ref-related absurdity. The good doctor recounted the litany of questionable calls that have been widely publicized, spawning a conversation that has resulted in opinions ranging from “bad officiating is an unfortunate part of the game” to “the fix is in.”

Some who gravitate toward the latter end of the opinion spectrum don’t do so because they think that gambling forces are hidden in the weeds. Their premise is more sinister: the conference would like to guarantee that Alabama or Florida will play in this year’s BCS championship game in Pasadena.