In the Fourth Quarter SEC Refs Follow Orders

Southeastern Conference officials again had a major effect on the outcome of a big-time game.

As expected in the Alabama-LSU game, all the questionable calls went the way of the conference’s chosen team, the Crimson Tide.

The controversial plays went to review, but in the end, the conference’s goal of having two undefeated teams arrive in Atlanta trumped substantial video evidence.

Vince McMahon is very proud of Mike Slive.

Don King is a fan.

LSU’s starting quarterback and running back were both knocked out of the game. Still, the SEC could not risk the Tigers having the ball with a chance to go ahead in the fourth quarter.

Video evidence be damned, the SEC has a product to market and cannot be concerned with athletic fairness.

From SI's Andy Staples:

When officials went to the video with 5:54 remaining in Alabama’s 24-15 win to determine if [Patrick] Peterson intercepted [Greg] McElroy along the right sideline, the replay official didn’t see what most impartial eyes watching at home saw: Peterson got his left foot down with possession. He may have even gotten his right foot down.

Officials on the field ruled Patterson caught the ball out of bounds.

After a few minutes, replay official Gerald Hodges upheld that call, even though numerous replays shown on the CBS telecast seemed to show Peterson getting his left foot down with possession.

Later, LSU players would say Peterson’s left shoe left an obvious gash in the grass. (After interviews, I even took a photo of said gash.)

My guess: Marc Curles proved himself so effective that the league offices decided to have him give seminars to the other officiating crews during his “suspension.”

What do you think? Are bad calls as random as “bad bounces” or is something else afoot in the SEC?