Mea culpa for SEC officials ... again

Let me see if I got this right.

The most powerful, cash-rich conference in the nation can't find a quality group of football officials. Here I thought the Big East officials were worthless and incompetent.

There were the unnecessary unsportsmanlike penalties in the LSU-Georgia game on Oct. 3. SEC officials were nice enough to apologize to Georgia and admit the officiating mistake.

Then this past weekend it appears SEC officials were screwing up calls in favor of the higher-ranked teams in Gainesville and Tuscaloosa.

In the Florida-Arkansas game, the officiating crew had at least two horrendous calls go against the Razorbacks on the Gators' game-winning drive. They also had one missed called on the Gators.

The first bad call was a phantom interference call that you can watch here.



The second pitiful penalty was a personal foul on a defensive lineman protecting himself from a block. See what you think.



Then there was the missed offensive pass interference on UF receiver Riley Cooper that could have easily kept the Gators from getting into field-goal range. Again, you be the judge.



Now South Carolina's Steve Spurrier is accusing the Crimson Tide of its own form of trickery by using tape to spot field goals and extra points in last weekend's 20-6 Alabama win.

I'm not unrealistic. Officials are going to miss calls. Maybe they don't see something. But there is no excuse when officials call something that didn't happen. I can't overlook that and neither should the SEC. The statement released by conference officials is actually disturbing.

"After video review, there was no evidence on the video to support the personal foul penalty called on Arkansas midway through the fourth quarter. The other calls that were referenced are judgment calls and a review of those calls have been communicated to Arkansas."

I would expect something stronger. But Florida and Alabama are carrying the SEC this year (and last year), so no one (not even game officials) are going to rock ratings gold of these two.

(Hat tip: The Wiz of Odds for finding all of the video proof)

UF wins ... thanks to officials

Nice job CBS. Your highlight package from the Florida-Arkansas game is missing two major plays. Somehow the producers neglected to include two horrible penalties on the same Gator drive with about eight minutes remaining in the game.

The first bad call was on a Razorbacks' defensive back who was called for pass interference in the end zone, giving the Gators the ball at the Arkansas 21. For some reason, SEC officials don't like it when a DB uses good technique.

Then, on the very next play, Arkansas was flagged for a personal foul when a player decided to defend himself from a charging Gator. Get this ... it actually happened on a play that was 15 yards away from where the ball was at the point of the UF player making contact.

You know what happened next, Florida's Jeffrey Demps scored on a 10-yard dash to tie the game at 20.

That's embarrassing for the SEC officials, but even more so for CBS officials, who are too scared to show up the conference.

Mallett real deal? Or UGA defense bad?

Arkansas' Ryan Mallett leads the nation in passing efficiency. Not a huge surprise, but it sure helps when you get a home game with Georgia. Seems all of that SEC speed is reserved for offense.

Mallett, who has a passing efficiency of 193.5, lit up the Bulldogs last weekend for 408 passing yards and five touchdowns. Winning, however, lessens the sting. Mark Richt quipped at a recent presser about his defense (Hat Tip: MrSEC.com), “Well, they’re not playing the best pass defense in the country, that’s for sure.” He did note that the Bulldogs have faced some solid passing teams. “I haven’t lost faith in this bunch at all.”

SEC fans have to love what Tony Barnhart said on his blog Mr. College Football.

"Well, Mallett may have played his first SEC game last week but his real SEC debut comes Saturday when the Hogs go to Alabama."

Mallett will see a speedier defensive unit this week when he faces No. 3 Alabama. Something tells me he won't be able to sit in the pocket against the Tide and pick apart the secondary.

Don't overlook Arkansas with Mallett at QB

It felt like I was at the SEC Media Day today. Following a number of outlets on Twitter I learned some valuable insight into the conference. But nothing was more clear than this simple fact:

SEC coaches love Tim Tebow (except one unidentified coach who didn't vote for him as the preseason SEC quarterback). Did you see new Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen wants his daughter to marry Tebow (who doesn't?).

However, the most interesting nugget I gleaned from this annual slap on the back for being the greatest conference in college football was the status of Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett.

Mallett, who sat out last season after transferring from Michigan and Rich Rodriguez' spread offense, has impressed many folks with his arm strength. He's a big dude at 6-foot-6, 240-pounds, and Razorback fans are hoping he has broad shoulders as he tries to lift Arkansas up from a down 5-7 season.

According to a quote in the Orlando Sentinel, Arkansas tight end D.J. Williams said, "He has the strongest arm in college football. I'd have to take my gloves off because he ripped off the sticky stuff."

Put Mallett's unquestionable talent with coach Bobby Petrino's knack for devising tough-to-stop offensive schemes could mean a breakout season for the quarterback.

It also means one more talented SEC team, and a dangerous game for anyone in the conference.

Fulmer Cup shakeup

While the latest Fulmer Cup rankings won't be posted until later this week over at EveryDayShouldBeSaturday.com, we noticed at An 'Eye and an 'Eer that the
rankings should see a shakeup after this weekend.

Here's the latest in off-season debauchery:

* Two Ohio State freshmen enjoy dabbling in the drug paraphernalia.

* Ryan Mallett, the former rocket-armed, but slow-footed quarterback at Michigan, decided to partake in a little underage drinking and got busted for public intox in Fayetteville, Ark. Mallett is the favorite to start for the Razorbacks this fall.

* Speaking of underage consumption, Nebraska tight end Ben Cotton was nabbed after he couldn't maintain his composure. Those 19-year-olds just can't hold their liquor.

* Iowa, which has not choice but to appear serious when its players run afoul of the law, has suspended freshman defensive back Shaun Prater after being charged with driving while trashed.

So the Buckeyes crack the rankings, while the Mountaineers have a quiet weekend in Morgantown (not counting Bob Huggins' bender after WVU lost to Cincinnati for a second consecutive season).