SEC officiating was bad, but sank to a new low, with the pro officiating not far behind:
SEC officials post miserable showing in Week 3
It's never a good sign when officials take the spotlight, but that happened time and time again in Week 3. An
early pass interference call in the Alabama-Florida game stirred fans up, though it was far from the worst call of the day. That PI call definitely paled in comparison to the wild punt return Memphis scored against Mississippi State. The SEC was forced
to admit multiple mistakes by the crew on that play as Memphis won that game by 2. MSU AD John Cohen
reacted to the SEC's statement, saying it was all "extremely disappointing" for the student-athletes.
In the Auburn-Penn State game, officials once again took center stage in big moments. It started with the officials calling for a fourth down on the field for Penn State when it should have been third down. The SEC
admitted to that mistake but not before the call
left James Franklin incredibly perturbed. During the second half, the SEC crew caught more flack
for a very controversial targeting call on Auburn LB Zakoby McClain. The review booth upheld the call -- and the ejection -- with McClain now forced to miss the first half of Auburn's Week 4 game.