instant replay in MAC

[Jacobs4Heisman]

I smell a PR nightmare in the works. Schools that don't have bigtime TV matchups are going to cry foul when they don't have the opportunity to take advantage of the benefits of instant replay like BG does....or like Miami does. I am very interested to see this formal announcement and subsequently, the details of the IR system. Perhaps the money is coming in some form from the ESPN TV deal? I don't remember how much coin the MAC banked from that endeavor.

[Schadenfreude]

I'm not sure I see why we are messing with this.

I assume that if a game isn't on a television system capable of replay, that the replay rule won't apply. Obviously, they won't -- in the words of osmeone else in this thread -- be calling an Eastern Michigan dad out of the stands to peer into his VHS recorder.

I guess the theory is that if a replay is available (e.g., of NIU fumbling the ball at the 3 when the refs have judged it a touchdown), then why not get it right?

On the other hand, this seems to create an expectation that TV ought to be covering all our games. That's not how the MAC works. That's not how college football works.

Replay is just too NFL for me.

[UK Peregrine]

This article addresses most of the concerns people had about replay in the MAC.

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar ... /-1/SPORTS

By MAUREEN FULTON
Blade sports writer

It didn't take long for Gregg Brandon to remember a moment when he's wished for instant replay. Brandon, Bowling Green State University football coach, flashed back nine months ago to his team's game against Northern Illinois. In highlights shown on ESPN later that evening, Brandon saw BGSU defensive back Keon Newson strip Huskies running back Garrett Wolfe of the football before Wolfe crossed the goal line in a second-quarter play. The play should have awarded the Falcons the ball on their 20-yard line as a touchback, but instead put NIU up by two touchdowns. "They kicked our butt anyway," Brandon said, "but it sure would have been nice to have the right call there."

Brandon and other Mid-American Conference coaches are getting their wish. Following the lead of the Big Ten Conference, the MAC has decided to implement instant replay in its conference games for the upcoming season. The Big Ten used instant replay on a trial basis last season. Nine of Division I-A's 11 conferences will use instant replay in some form next season, and the NCAA is expected to write instant replay into its bylaws, effective for the 2006 season.

Some conferences are tweaking the Big Ten's method, but MAC conference games and some non-conference home games will feature a replay system that mirrors the Big Ten's, said Bob Gennarelli, MAC associate commissioner of external operations. The only difference is that the MAC will not use TiVo to view the play again, it will instead use video feeds from the television production truck. At each conference game, a technical adviser and communicator seated in the press box will be on the lookout for possible referee miscues. These two officials are the only ones who can dispute a call. Reviewable plays are basically limited to scoring plays, fumbles, out-of-bounds calls and possession on receptions. Judgment calls will stand.

University of Toledo coach Tom Amstutz said the Rockets' game against Big Ten school Minnesota last year sold him on instant replay. "I'm very much in favor of utilizing this technology in the MAC," Amstutz said.

Last season in the Big Ten, play was stopped in 28 of 57 games. There were 43 stoppages and 21 overturned calls. "If the advisor can be on top of those bang-bang plays, I think it's something that will work," Brandon said. "It's certainly worth a try."

A couple initial hindrances for some MAC schools were that not all games are televised, making replay difficult, and there wasn't room in the press box for the technical advisor and communicator to have a secluded seat. Gennarelli said the schools agreed that if the school had nowhere to place the technical advisor, the visiting athletic director would give up his box.
He estimated a possible 12 to 14 of 48 league games that won't be on national or regional television. For those, the MAC will hire a video crew with three to four camera feeds for replay-only production. Each school will pay a seasonal fee of $12,000 to 14,000 for this cost. Along with an estimated $2,500 to $3,000 for equipment for the replay box at each school, instant replay will cost each MAC school $14,500 to $17,000. The MAC will cover the technical advisor and communicator's pay.

This summer the MAC technical advisors will attend a mandatory replay clinic in Chicago hosted by the Big Ten. The leagues have worked well together lately; they are in talks to sign a scheduling agreement this summer. "The more we can do in collaborating and cooperation is only going to benefit both leagues, especially the Mid-American Conference," Gennarelli said. Gennarelli said the league is discussing with UT using instant replay in its season opener at home against Western Illinois.

[TG1996]

University of Toledo coach Tom Amstutz said the Rockets' game against Big Ten school Minnesota last year sold him on instant replay. "I'm very much in favor of utilizing this technology in the MAC," Amstutz said.

If he would have had instant replay, he could have known to bring an extra case of K-Y to that game.

[FalconKing]

Nine of Division I-A's 11 conferences will use instant replay in some form next season, and the NCAA is expected to write instant replay into its bylaws, effective for the 2006 season.

I think this is the key to why we are doing this. If the NCAA makes instant replay the law of the land just a year away, we are probably just trying to make sure our ducks are all in a row. I am sure it is going to be "interesting" (read cluster f*ck) this year, especially the non-ESPN/FSN games (let's face it, the local cable broadcasts are pretty low grade), so we best get our practice in when making it work isn't a component of our D-1A eligibility. That is my take on it and I think it is another good move by Chryst to solidify the position of the conference.