This win against Texas A&M came in what I like to call 150% games. It's where the opponent shows up and gives you their complete game - giving you 100% - and half the time it feels like the refs are playing for the other team - for you other 50%.
While I don't believe there is anything nefarious going on with the officiating, I know there is definitely something going on causing Bama's opponents to be penalized incongruently less often than Bama. For lack of a better term, I'll call it the anti-Goliath bias.
More often than most people would think, officials in a football game are faced with a split-second decision where they spot a foul which, while technically a foul, is either a borderline foul, a foul that is commonly ignored, or a foul that really has no effect on the play and the official must decide whether to let it go or drop the flag. Sometimes, as fans, we see these types of plays where the official keeps the flag in his pocket and we yell for him to throw the flag and other times where he throws the flag and we yell for him to let the boys play. Other times, we see both and appreciate his keen eye. It all depends upon for which color jersey we're rooting.
The problem begins when, intentionally or not, an official begins to allow the color of the jersey to factor into his decision. When an official begins to allow thoughts like "they need all the help they can get" against the Goliath to influence the decision of whether to throw the flag or leave it in his pocket, the end result becomes a noticeable disparity between the number of flags thrown against the Goliath versus his opponents.
It's no coincidence that, for the past few seasons, the opponents of Alabama and Ohio State have been among the least penalized in the country. Not only are they big brands, they've both been perennially considered among the best of the best in college football. Even Clemson, who two and three years ago were beneficiaries of the officials' flags, after making the CFP National Championship game the past two seasons has, thus far this season, joined the ranks of those in whose direction the officials' flag fly more often than not. In fact, over the past 10 years, at least, the vast majority of teams that have finished in the top 10 of the AP poll the previous two seasons have finished in the bottom half of the country in opponents' penalties during the next.
While it would be nice to know that, in every game, flags for similar infractions would fly equally in both directions as far as Bama is concerned that will never be a guarantee as long as the officials are still human.
So, what should happen about this obvious issue?
I say nothing. I think it's just one of those things that's going to be one of those things.
Sure, Saban or someone else in the athletic department could go to the SEC office and try to get something done about it and maybe that would work. However, even if the SEC officials were to actively try to correct their anti-Goliath bias, the odds are that the bias would still exist in the minds of officials from other conferences.
And where are we most likely to face officials from other conferences? That's right, in big out-of-conference games and, especially, the College Football Playoff.
So, for the moment, I'll try to be grateful for games like this because it helps prepare us to play in even bigger games down the road where the flags will seem to be always flying against us.
While I don't believe there is anything nefarious going on with the officiating, I know there is definitely something going on causing Bama's opponents to be penalized incongruently less often than Bama. For lack of a better term, I'll call it the anti-Goliath bias.
More often than most people would think, officials in a football game are faced with a split-second decision where they spot a foul which, while technically a foul, is either a borderline foul, a foul that is commonly ignored, or a foul that really has no effect on the play and the official must decide whether to let it go or drop the flag. Sometimes, as fans, we see these types of plays where the official keeps the flag in his pocket and we yell for him to throw the flag and other times where he throws the flag and we yell for him to let the boys play. Other times, we see both and appreciate his keen eye. It all depends upon for which color jersey we're rooting.
The problem begins when, intentionally or not, an official begins to allow the color of the jersey to factor into his decision. When an official begins to allow thoughts like "they need all the help they can get" against the Goliath to influence the decision of whether to throw the flag or leave it in his pocket, the end result becomes a noticeable disparity between the number of flags thrown against the Goliath versus his opponents.
It's no coincidence that, for the past few seasons, the opponents of Alabama and Ohio State have been among the least penalized in the country. Not only are they big brands, they've both been perennially considered among the best of the best in college football. Even Clemson, who two and three years ago were beneficiaries of the officials' flags, after making the CFP National Championship game the past two seasons has, thus far this season, joined the ranks of those in whose direction the officials' flag fly more often than not. In fact, over the past 10 years, at least, the vast majority of teams that have finished in the top 10 of the AP poll the previous two seasons have finished in the bottom half of the country in opponents' penalties during the next.
While it would be nice to know that, in every game, flags for similar infractions would fly equally in both directions as far as Bama is concerned that will never be a guarantee as long as the officials are still human.
So, what should happen about this obvious issue?
I say nothing. I think it's just one of those things that's going to be one of those things.
Sure, Saban or someone else in the athletic department could go to the SEC office and try to get something done about it and maybe that would work. However, even if the SEC officials were to actively try to correct their anti-Goliath bias, the odds are that the bias would still exist in the minds of officials from other conferences.
And where are we most likely to face officials from other conferences? That's right, in big out-of-conference games and, especially, the College Football Playoff.
So, for the moment, I'll try to be grateful for games like this because it helps prepare us to play in even bigger games down the road where the flags will seem to be always flying against us.