Games That Felt "Rigged" By Suspiciously Convenient Calls
- Thread starter selmaborntidefan
- Start date
Yes, but I'll admit it's because I'm biased.
Mostly because I hated Miami about as much as I hated Notre Dame.
PLUS - it was always difficult for me to wrap my head around Jimmy Johnson's, "If West Virginia beats Notre Dame then we should be number one because we almost beat Notre Dame" just three years after Hairspray said (much more legitimately), "We beat Oklahoma on the road, so why are they ranked ahead of us?"
West Virginia looked good - kinda like Boise or UCF - against the riff-raff. You're correct a rematch would have been a better game. And I'll even admit Miami was probably the best team in the country in 1986-87-88 while they weren't in 1983 or 1989 (when they won).
In a way the 1996 Tennessee game feels fishy.
But one thing I noticed is that there are 0 references about the refs favoring Bama after 122 posts. Although every other school in the SEC says we are favored the most.
But one thing I noticed is that there are 0 references about the refs favoring Bama after 122 posts. Although every other school in the SEC says we are favored the most.
Yeah, but would you actually expect that on a Tidefans board?
We did kinda steal the 1994 Ole Miss game with an assist from the officials. I'm not saying we wouldn't have won - but in that case, I thought the bad penalty call offset the insanity of continuing to play ball in a horrid storm that hurt us, too.
My point is that it more proves my point that it is more about who is getting screwed over than someone getting screwed over. I still think two of the worst reffed games was the 03 Fiesta Bowl and USC-ND in 2005. But no one is going to shed a tear for Miami and Notre Dame with their histories.
but come to think of it we kinda got away with the 2007 ole miss game as well.
I wanted to see the rematch felt they were the two best teams that year and a very compelling story. Don’t know how that would have impacted ratings? Bama vs LSU was said not to be good for tv but I believe everyone knew what was waiting for LSU. They were very lucky in the 9-6 game just like last year. Tua’s unforced fumble and the dropped punt setting them up then they hold on and everyone paints a false narrative.
Instant replay video review has changed the way games are played and officiated now. Most all of the calls that this thread is talking about would not occur today. Many of the fumbles, non fumbles, catches, interceptions, goal line TD's, timing of clock, etc. back in those days were called incorrectly on the field and there was no way to correct. There were many games where the outcome would have changed with video review. The referees aren't perfect now but much better than the old days and replay review has helped so much.
It is better these days until you get a weird situation where the refs are hamstrung. 2019 Iron Bowl and the Carlson 50 yarder before half being the best example I can think of.
Then the targeting rule. We really need a fix for it.
I seem to recall as a freshman that fall going to the Coliseum to watch Alabama play the Soviet team only a few months after the Olympics. My memory (always a fallible thing across that many years) is that the place was packed for an exhibition game, the crowd booed almost everything the USSR did, and Alabama almost won.
There is a lot of truth to this. Neither the refs in the 1979 AFC title game nor Don Denkinger could appeal to any sort of replay to make sure he/they got the call right. So in that sense, we DO have an improvement. (Note that most of the examples cited here are older examples).
What I recall being somewhat amusing is that one reason given to NOT have replay is because "it will make the officials timid.' In fact, the exact opposite occurred - because now they know missing it doesn't mean they missed it for sure, they have a backup.
Replay has also produced worst hose jobs than non replay era bad calls. You keep referencing the 1979 AFCCG. But tell me that is worse than the 2005 AFC Divisional game where Polamalu clearly intercepted the ball, had full possession, and was called and interception on the field. But was miraculously changed. But if you want a non Steelers play how bout Dez Bryant’s catch vs Green Bay?
My point is most of these pre replay bad calls are more forgivable because you go on split second decisions. That’s why high school games without replay you can pass off as “he just missed it”. With Replay that issue should’ve been eliminated, but it unfortunately hasn’t. And worst yet we get into weird usuages like the 2009 BIG XII championship and 2019 IB where it’s used to put micro seconds back on the clock. The latter is far more egregious because atleast you could say Colt McCoy stopped the clock but you couldn’t with Auburn.
The thing with most of those pre-replay calls, though? It was like knowing Michael Jordan or Shaq or Kobe were not going to foul out of the game regardless of what they did. (I'm overexaggerating but for effect). If the call was close, it was going IN FAVOR of the Steelers or Cowboys and AGAINST the Raiders (for example) or the smaller market draw every single time.
I don't deny one single thing you've said about the Steelers against the Colts. It was a royal screwing top to bottom, and it shouldn't have happened. If I was a Steelers fan, I'd be livid. Nor am I arguing that somehow one offsets the other, either.
As far as the 79 title game, it was (as noted before) my first experience with a colossal ref screw-up. I'm not even arguing Houston wins the game - but as Merlin Olsen noted on commentary, it wasn't even debatable. Houston basically has the game tied - and they'd just beaten Pittsburgh four weeks earlier in a close one. That drive ensured they would never get the chance and in all honesty, the 1970s Steelers were about like the Brady-era Patriots - every single close call (it seemed) went in their favor.
Polamalu DID, in fact, intercept that ball. That was highway robbery. But even his catch was more debatable than Mike Renfro's. And in the case of Renfro, there was NO APPEAL that could be made - to anyone. Once it was done, it was done.
And let's be honest: the reason the Colts getting that call is sorta not even remembered by hardly anyone who isn't a Steelers fan is simple....the team that got hosed by the refs still won the game. It's not because "hey, we like the Colts and hate the Steelers," it's because the team that got screwed still won.
If Steve Balboni hits into a double play and the Cardinals win the series, nobody remembers who Don Denkinger was.
If Houston hits a TD on the very next play after the non-TD for Renfro, nobody remembers the call.
There was an absolutely horrible call in game one of the 1948 World Series, when Tribe pitcher Bob Feller picked Phil Masi (Boston Braves) off second base. He was out, but the ump missed it. Masi scored the sole run so the Braves won, 1-0. It's sorta famous, but nobody even recalls the umpire without looking - because the Tribe won the series anyway. It would be less remembered than it is except it was that player who scored the winning run.
Bad calls happen every game, all the time. As bad as that "let's make sure Auburn gets to try a field goal" was, if we'd lost by 30 instead of by 3 (the points total on that play), it would be forgotten by 90% of fans. And to be clear, that horrid call is NOT why we lost the game (the two pick sixes were much more problematic).
That's why you won't get a lot of folks to jump on board the bandwagon on the 2005 Steelers; not because the call was right but because it wound up making no difference at all other than some anxiety.
2009 Big XII championship game. Do you think if it was Nebraska throwing the ball in the stands that 1 micro second is put back on the clock after mental gymnastics?
My point is that review makes calls far closer to rigging than human error when they are Incorrect calls.
Anyone on here has to admit that replay is not infallible.
Replay officials seem, at times, to be even worse than the on field refs.
Replay officials seem, at times, to be even worse than the on field refs.
Not in 2009, no. If it was 1995 Nebraska surviving a close call or 1996 Nebraska needing a little assist to beat Texas then yes.
I think what you're saying (correct me if I'm wrong) is that the PERCEPTION is that it's closer to ensuring a particular outcome (e.g. rigging) than without replay.
I think it depends on the replay, but yes.
Fact is certain teams pretty much ALWAYS seemed to get the benefit of the doubt pre-replay. It's harder to pull a flat out "well, we all know Team A is BETTER than Team B so let's call it for them."
This is the 1977 AFC Championship. Quality isn't the best. Go to the 8:28 mark and watch what happened.
The Broncos wind up scoring a TD and win the game at the end by 3. Rob Lytle HIMSELF admitted he fumbled the ball because....he was actually knocked unconscious.
I'm no Raiders fan, but that was hardly fair. And it had the net effect of stopping a potential Raiders repeat championship. Of course, the counter is that the Raiders got handed the game vs the Patriots in 1976.
I don't remember if it has been mentioned, but I still believe the refs and the replay refs got it wrong in the 2011 LSU game, regular season, on the WR pass from Maze to Williams, that was ruled an interception. The LSU DB took the ball away from Williams after he was down. It was near the goal line. If we score there, we win that game.
I recall that one, as well. The pass from Kitchens to TE Patrick Hape should have been a winner. Instead, after losing in nasty fashion in BIrmingham in 1995, we wouldn't even really be that close to them again, until 2002,. when we won it fair and square, breaking the streak.
Interestingly, we would lose 2003-2004 to UT, but then lose only 1 more time (06, in a mess) until TODAY.
Let that sink in. Since 2005, we have lost only one other time to Tennessee, the very next year, 2006.
And the reality is.....we should have won every single one of them since 2002.
There'd be a couple of more fired coaches if we had.
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