1403 You might have seen in the Florida-Georgia game (besides Georgia's lame effort at intimidation with their black helmets) Florida LB Brandon Spikes try to take out the eyes of Georgia running back Washaun Ealey during UF's 41-17 victory. So he's gone for a game, at a minimum right? Because, after all, LeGarrett Blount has been suspended for the entire season to this point for going upside the head of a Boise State player after their 19-8 loss (and wanting to fight the entire fan base too). Wrong. Instead, Spikes will only miss the first half. Against VANDERBILT! http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4616581 Now, if you think Florida actually needs Spikes to beat Vandy, you are way too obsessed a Gator fan. They could probably beat Vandy with their SECOND teams. The real issue is, I would consider attempting to permanently disable someone far more severe an action than, you know, punching someone. Yet, he doesn't even get a game suspension. Secondly, how many officiating gaffs is it going to take before conferences start firing them on the spot? Especially when instant replay is available from almost all angles in today's era of technology so the right call CAN be made. Anyone watching the Iowa-Indiana game this last weekend knows exactly what I am talking about. That was CLEARLY a TD, as DUST was kicked up by the WR's foot as it hit the endzone. It was RULED a TD by the side judge, who was IN THE BEST POSITION to see, but got overruled, and when they went up for a replay, they confirmed it was incomplete, which was the wrong call. Instead of 21-7, which is a whole different ballgame, it stayed 14-7. Now of course, Iowa exploded in the 4th quarter to win comfortably, but you can make the argument it's an entirely different game if the call is made correctly. Then there was the personal foul call in the Ark-Fla game (to just name one of them) and the non-call of offensive pass interference that would have prevented Florida from winning the game. All the SEC does is issue a "warning". As I said in a chat the other day, this is the WORST year of officiating, not only in college football but across all sports, that I have ever seen. But...when coaches are not going to discipline their players appropriately, and when officials are not going to remove themselves when they are not performing up to standards, it's up to the conferences to step in. And if the conferences would do something, then it's time for the NCAA to exercise their power. Games should be decided by the players, not the officials. And by virtue of representing their school in a money making sport, the players and coaches MUST be held to a higher standard, and right now only in rare cases is this true. Solving these problems means dealing with 2 issues: #1: Officials are not full time These officials have 2nd jobs. So what if they blow a call? It's not as if they won't be able to provide for their families. In the end, most people don't remember the name of an official unless they REALLY blow a call. People just say that team X got lucky or a "gift" from the refs to beat team Y. Go back to the OSU-Miami game earlier this decade. Does anyone remember the official's name that blew a call for Miami? I didn't think so. #2: Too much money involved College football is a gold mine for universitites, which is why you see them play $500,000 for a no-name team to come to their stadium and crush them by 40 points (Which is why wins by teams like Appalachian State are so satisfying to fans). It's also a golf mine for the athletic conferences. Rather than bite the hand that feeds, they simply pass nominal judgment and the games go on. Because we all know why there isn't a playoff in college football... The bottom line is, the NCAA should have stepped in and suspended Brandon Spikes for the remainder of the season, including the bowl game. What he tried to do is inexcusable. The fact he'll only miss a half shows that Urban Meyer doesn't know discipline. Let's hope the NCAA wises up and starts holding people accountable for their actions and/or not doing their jobs, and handles their employment accordingly. Because next time someone like Spikes might be successful, and the NCAA will have a hard time justifying a suspension when they didn't act in other similar situations. true 2009-11-03T15:27:40Z 97802 0 2009-11-03T15:27:40Z