Why are Big Ten Refs so bad at spotting the ball?

[redzoner]

At the game yesterday I saw back to back plays at the end of the game that I'm sure were discussed in the game thread but I wanted to watch the film to verify.

How do they get these so wrong all the time? I bet we have games where we lost 30+ yards with bad spots.

Last punt of the game:

Kemp catches the ball at the 13 but she spots at the 11?






Then the next play is the Purdy run. I agree with the review that he was short of the line but they still spotted the ball a half yard short. The ball should have been re-spotted to be be 4th and a half yard with the penalty taken away.




There wasn't a good clip on TV of where the ball was spotted before the center picked it up, but I saw at the game the nose of the ball was on the short side of the 20 yard line.

 

[BIG TONE SOPRANO]

Our uniforms look like crap. Everyone wearing different socks, shoes, undershirts, etc. we need to at least attempt to look like a team. Look good play good IMO

 

[alt f4]

Spots go yard line to yard line except for when you near a first down on 2nd and 3rd down. Those are called soft spots because you go to nearest yard line. 2nd and 3rd down plays near a first down (within a yard, maybe 2 depending on situation) will get a "hard spot" if near a first down.

Over the course of the game it actually benefits the offense by this, and speeds up the game considerably. You know a yard line is a line to gain for first, you can mark off penalties from yard line to yard line instead of between, easier for umpire or center judge to spot ball and get out of the way.

I will telling you officiating for 14 years at all levels it's impossible to get all spots correct especially when it's a hard spot or near goal line. Your view of ball is blocked by bodies and angles. You're left at field level, full speed, piece together where a shin, hip or body part touched and where was the ball (which you cannot see) was at that point.

 

[redzoner]

Spots go yard line to yard line except for when you near a first down on 2nd and 3rd down. Those are called soft spots because you go to nearest yard line. 2nd and 3rd down plays near a first down (within a yard, maybe 2 depending on situation) will get a "hard spot" if near a first down.

Over the course of the game it actually benefits the offense by this, and speeds up the game considerably. You know a yard line is a line to gain for first, you can mark off penalties from yard line to yard line instead of between, easier for umpire or center judge to spot ball and get out of the way.

I will telling you officiating for 14 years at all levels it's impossible to get all spots correct especially when it's a hard spot or near goal line. Your view of ball is blocked by bodies and angles. You're left at field level, full speed, piece together where a shin, hip or body part touched and where was the ball (which you cannot see) was at that point.

If they are doing those soft spots then it is applied really randomly. Watching the Michigan - OSU game right now and they are not doing it.

It may speed the game up, but it creates a lot of controversy near 1st downs and the goal lines and I'm not sure it benefits the offense. I would rather lose some half yards on random 3 yard gains but have the ball correctly spotted for critical 3rd and 4th downs. There's a big difference between 4th and a full yard and 4th and inches.

I agree that spotting is hard but why are they not changing spots after a review? It erodes the trust of officiating even more when we all see the ball is spotted wrong and they don't correct it.