Okay, if you were at the MSU University of Alabama Birmingham game today you know that the officals did not cause the game to be lost, but they certainly did have a negative impact on game. Officiating at this game was yet another example of how bad the officials have become over the years.

Most every call was made against MSU and many of them were deserved. The problem was that there were far too many missed calls against UAB. Sure, every ref is going to miss a call every now and then, but to miss that many seems to imply either incompetence or bias. Either way, it is bad for the sport.

Calls made against MSU certainly slowed the building momentum of the team. Just when they made a good play, the guys in stripes would throw a flag. UAB made many plays based on missed calls. When the fans became rowdy and the refs had to make some calls against UAB, it stopped their drive in their tracks. It was amazing how bad they looked when they couldn’t get away with holding or other rule violoations.

I wish the refs could be accountable in public. I know they are graded and their calls are reviewed, but why not do it in public? The players and the coaches are judged by the public for every move they make, why not the officials? And what’s the deal with the coaches not being allowed to talk about the bad calls? Come on, let ’em talk. If a coach gets too out of line the public will bring him back to reality. And if the refs are subject to the court of public opinion, perhaps they will be a bit more cautious in throwing the flag.