Tag: Pac-12 Refs USC

Pac-12 refs stumble in USC game, remind Trojan fans why conference is dying

#Pac12Refs won’t be around in 2024, but they will stick around to the bitter end in 2023. Lincoln Riley was reminded of that.

There are a lot of bad things about the Pac-12 Conference dying, but Pac-12 refs creating anger among fans and coaches is not one of them.

We really do feel bad for Oregon State, Washington State, Pac-12 Network employees, and the many, many other people who are being negatively affected by the Pac-12’s splintering and implosion. It’s terrible, and it would have been far better if it had never happened. However, Pac-12 refs drawing the ire of USC coach Lincoln Riley on Saturday night reminded every USC fan why the Trojans are heading to the Big Ten, and why the Pac-12 has had such bad leadership over the years, with an inability to improve the quality of football officiating within the conference.

A ridiculously long and unnecessary replay review late in the game had everyone grumbling, and it’s worth reminding ourselves why the Trojans are heading to a new conference … and why the Pac-12 is on its deathbed:

Mike Bohn, Lincoln Riley react to massive Pac-12 refs blunder which once again goes against USC

#USC AD Mike Bohn retweeted several tweets which poured in after the #Pac12Refs once again jobbed the Trojans. Lincoln Riley was incensed. This is exhausting.

You might not have seen this, since USC’s game against Arizona was on Pac-12 Network, but you might have read about it on Twitter or heard about it if you were tuning in to a radio broadcast of the Trojans’ game in Tucson on Saturday evening.

It’s really very simple … or at least, it should have been.

USC had at least five or six seconds at the end of the first half. The Trojan offense was in position to snap the ball. A first down had just been gained.

By every possible measurement and according to every available detail, the Trojans should have been able to snap the ball and kick a field goal before halftime.

Zero debate. Zero question. Zero ambiguity. Right? Not in the world of Pac-12 refs.

Notably, USC Athletic Director Mike Bohn was paying attention, as you will see below: