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I had occasion to get out the old crystal ball this week. So, I spent a little time looking into the future of football officiating at the upper levels of the game. Some people might find what I saw concerning, even disturbing. Don’t shoot the messenger. 😂 In the not too distant future, NFL and major college on field officials will have a greatly diminished role. For these purposes, I am treating the NFL and major college football the same, since the latter is becoming little more than the minor leagues for the NFL. But that’s a story for another day. The game at the upper level has evolved in 3 ways, all of which will combine to reduce the role of the on field officials. First, the game has evolved physically. The players are bigger, faster, more athletic, harder to keep up with. They can do things you’d swear a human being couldn’t do. This aspect of the game has never placed more demands on the officials than it does now. Secondly, the game has evolved technologically. Cameras everywhere. Enhanced use of replay. Now, every coach and fan can see, from multiple angles, in slow motion or stop action, what the on field official sees in a second. This has created unrealistic expectations among coaches and fans: “If I can see it, the official should have seen it, too.” The Dunning-Kruger Effect is in play here. Lastly, the game has evolved financially. Not just in terms of player compensation and broadcast revenue, but gambling. There is simply too much money at stake to leave things to the judgment of an official who may not have had the best look at a play. What does this mean for officials at the upper levels of the game? It means their role is going to be reduced to ministerial actions, like setting the ball, walking penalties, breaking up scuffles, etc. The actual calls (and no calls) will be made by AI using multiple cameras. AI will determine if there is a foul, for example, what the enforcement should be, etc., and relay that information to the field officials to administer. In the future, the real officiating will be done at the small college level and below. Then, as the technology gets even better and more commonplace, the “reduced role” of officials will start trickling down. Not a pretty picture, is it? I’m considering making my crystal ball into a garden ornament.

See everyone thought this was sarcasm, the SEVEN more beatings of this poor horse that I thought was already buried would prove my original point, I some doubt it would have ended quickly.

Not an IU fan, was happy for them this year, big Cignetti fan tho(just for context of what I'm about to say). Listened and watch practice film from the IU DB coach at the state clinic. Watching Ponds in drills as a DB coach myself brought a tear to my eye. The kid is amazing. Brings a different physicality to the corner position that I feel has gone away in today's college and pro game. Anyone who gets him I look forward to watching how his professional career goes. Not a Bears fan either, but would be cool if Ponds played for them. I think he would gel with the mentality the Bears and their organization has right now.

- It wasn't a fake punt at all - it was a 2nd down play. - I think 2 things can be true at the same time . #1 - I think that the South Adams coaches pulled one over on the officiating crew - and I think I fall into the "shame on you" camp in regards to the coaching staff. They had to have known they LIED to the officiating staff in order to pull this off. #2. I wholeheartly think the side judge watches #2 (the player) walking, what he thinks, is off the field. Then the snap happens, #2 runs down the sideline, and it is a TD. So - if I think that player checked out of the game -that has to be a penalty! Or...if I'm not sure if he did, he most certainly is a "hidden player" scenario, and it is a flag. I am dissapointed in the crew/officiating staff - with a TRIP TO THE STATE FINALS ON THE LINE - they wouldn't get together and get this one right.

yeah... he could get feisty LOL....Everything was always fun here until someone took it too serious... but hey.. I plead guilty to that too!!! I miss those times. Miner Football is in a weird position right now... a huge class graduated, numbers down, schedule upside down....

We tried the midweek regional in 1998-99. It was despised, had incredibly low attendance and was abandoned very, very quickly.