CFO Board of Managers Wednesday, October 17, 2012
CFO Officials:
First, on behalf of the CFO Board of Managers, I want to thank you for your continued dedication and contributions to officiating our great game. The time you dedicate away from your family and sacrifices you make to be the best official you can be are valued and appreciated. I continue to be impressed when I attend preseason clinics and meetings by the integrity and excellence that exists in the college football officiating community. Keep up the good work.
Part of my job at the NCAA is to help plan and administer the periodic CFO Board meetings throughout the year. We held a meeting in Chicago in conjunction with the Collegiate Commissioners Association a few weeks ago. I wanted to share a few things from the meeting to keep you in the loop.
1) Overall, the commissioners continue to be impressed with the level of officiating in football compared to other sports. You generally get the calls right and in recent years are rarely the story – which always will make the commissioners happy.
2) We spent a lot of time talking about targeting and high hits. The Board is generally pleased that officials seem to err on the side of safety, but continue to be concerned with both the number of hits of this type and the process for review from conference to conference. They have asked Rogers Redding to consider a plan that would help make the post-game review process more consistent nationally. From your perspective, however, the point is this: Keep making the calls and if a hit is flagrant (e.g., includes a launch, crown of helmet, etc.), come together as a crew and eject the player.
3) The new rules are being used pretty effectively overall. The kickoff rule has had the intended impact – already this year there have been more touchbacks in Division I Football Bowl Subdivision than last year. The helmet rule was a big topic in the first few weeks of the season, but the last two weeks, the number of incidents has dropped. My hope is that the student-athletes have adjusted and are more properly fitting their helmets, which is the point of the rule.
4) This year’s background check program overall worked very smoothly and I’m glad to report that our conference commissioners were pleased with the reporting – or more specifically the lack of many concerning reports. Keep up the good work off the field.
5) Video replay continues to be a source of pride generally; a few commissioners do worry about the intrusion on the game and the occasional overreaching by our replay crews. It is important to remember the need for conclusive video evidence to overturn the call on the field, especially in the heat of the moment.
I hope the content we provide on the CFO site is helpful and timely. We’re always looking for ways to improve the site, so please let us know if you have suggestions through the website or to me directly at thalpin@ncaa.org.
Also, if you have any rules suggestions or ways to make our rules clearer, please share these with your coordinator of officials for possible consideration.
In closing, I want to thank you again for your continued support and focus on NCAA football. Personally, I’m proud to be involved with the sport and so many great people working on and off the field. Best of luck in the last half of the year.
Regards,
Ty Halpin
CFO/NCAA
