Two months into the 2024 season, and it's safe to say officiating is at an all-time low.

I'll provide a concise rundown of the baffling, game-changing calls through the first 8 weeks, as going into detail over every single one would make the length of a Ramzy Nasrallah article seem like a Dr. Seuss children's story in comparison.

ACC:

• Miami essentially being handed a win against Virginia Tech when the Hokies completed a hail mary for what appeared to be a 40-38 walk-off victory. The play went to replay review, where the touchdown was overturned without indisputable evidence.
• Miami not being called for targeting on a hit on Cal's QB late in the 4th quarter of their 25-point comeback. The Canes trailed 38-33 at the time of the potential infraction, where a first down would've iced the game. Not calling targeting forced Cal to punt and allowed Miami to have one final drive, where they scored the winning touchdown.
• Notre Dame being gifted their final possession against NIU after the Huskies' running back clearly made the line to gain, only for the officials to spot him short, which could've potentially spoiled the monumental upset.

B1G:

• Michigan getting away with two face mask tackles of USC's QB Miller Moss, including one on the final play of the 1st half when USC was attempting a hail mary around UM's 40-yard line. A 15-yard penalty would've put them in field goal range. There was also a helmet-to-helmet block on a USC punt that sent a Trojan gunner to the hospital, yet was never reviewed for targeting.
• Minnesota successfully recovering an onside kick trailing by 3 with around 1 minute remaining against Michigan, only for the refs to incorrectly flag them for offside, which is non-reviewable.
• The final 30 seconds of the Oregon-Ohio State game. Jeremiah Smith's PI and the subsequent clock running without the head official providing a simple, "The clock will start on my signal" to such an obscure rule. Oregon intentionally using 12 men on the penultimate play.

SEC:

• South Carolina being called for a ticky-tack blindside block call that negated a 100-yard pick-six against LSU. Tigers wound up winning by 3.
• All the shenanigans in the UGA-Texas game last night. The abysmal pass interference call against Texas, which begot the UT crowd throwing debris on the field, leading to a prolonged delay, and during said delay the officials decided "Lol jk" and declared the interference call null and void. Georgia being robbed of a clear rushing touchdown and having to go for a 4th down at the 1, which they did inevitably score. Georgia getting called for two targeting fouls in the 4th, while a potential third wasn't even reviewed.

What occurred during that stretch in the 3rd quarter with the pass interference call that was nullified is my reason for creating this post in the first place. Firstly, the original flag is egregious. If anything, it was offensive PI. But what followed makes the situation ten times worse.

The garbage hurled onto the field caused a near five-minute delay, provoking Sark to approach the end zone and plead that the crowd cease. ABC then cuts to the seven officials huddled together, presumably discussing whether to enforce an unsportsmanlike penalty on the crowd, which would've only further incensed the 100,000+ in attendance. Instead, the head official explains that, "After discussion, there was no defensive pass interference."

While the correct result came to fruition, the road getting there showcases exactly the faults of modern day officiating. Rather than treading along the straightforward path by having the back judge make the correct call by keeping the flag in the pocket and avoiding all this chicanery, we have to take all these unnecessary detours that will have long-lasting ramifications.

I still don't know whether the on-field crew decided to overturn the flag, or if the SEC told them through the earpieces how bad of a look it was, but either way it opened pandora's box. By caving into the peer pressure, they've justified throwing trash on the field in the hopes of overturning a perceived bad call. This is likely to become a weekly trend throughout the sport now since it worked for Texas. It's akin to rewarding your bratty child for throwing a temper tantrum because he didn't get the toy he wanted. If and when the "bottlegate" saga persists, just remember this was the catalyst for its ubiquity.

So why has officiating dwindled in quality so poorly? Sure, there have always been bad calls and poorly reffed games in the history of CFB, but this feels different. I attribute the officials' on-field performances on relying too much on replay to clean up their messes. This is especially true in other sports like the NFL, MLB, etc. But because college football doesn't have nearly as good camera shots, plus the fact you need "indisputable evidence" (which we've already seen to be not true, especially in the end of the Miami-Va Tech game), amplifies the inconsistency.

But in my opinion, the worst culprits are two things that are uncomfortable topics. Gambling and the governing entities having favorites and agendas.

It's undeniable that gambling has become intertwined with sports, with the countless sportsbook commercials that are featured throughout the games, and partnerships with leagues. We've seen several players be reprimanded for betting on games in recent years in professional leagues. If the millionaire players are wagering on these games, it's not out of the realm of possibility that officials are as well. Even if they're not the ones placing the bets, it's certainly possible they have a friend or family member having a wager or two hinging on a call they make that can affect the outcome.

As for the governing entities favoring certain teams, I don't think this is nearly as controversial as the gambling. We've seen for years, well before the prevalence of legalized gambling, that conferences have their darlings they protect. SEC has Bama and Georgia. ACC has had Clemson and FSU, and now Miami. For God's sake, the Big 12 made "Horns down" an unsportsmanlike penalty when Texas was a conference member. The B1G has gifted Michigan several penalties and non-calls ever since Marcus Hall's infamous double-bird salute 11 years ago. Look no further than their slap on the wrist punishment for the cheaters after the spying was revealed in the middle of the damn season last year.

The biggest reason was to protect their investments and aid their best playoff contenders so they could receive as much national exposure as possible and get that sweet NY6 payday. Any "50-50" flag always seems to go in favor of the higher-ranked team. I was hoping with the 12-team playoff there wouldn't be such a dire need to protect the "big dogs," but my wishes were clearly naive. It's as corrupt as ever.

There's simply too much money invested in college sports, and all sports in general, for there not to be outside interference. It really sucks, because it's taken this glorious sport and turned it into a transcontinental circus. I used to spend noon till midnight on my autumn Saturdays glued to watching as many games as possible. Now, it's tough to take what I'm watching seriously anymore.

Please, let me know what you think about the decline of officiating.