SEC gets closer to instant replay
Cox News Services
LOUISVILLE, Ky. ? If the SEC's athletics directors approve the idea in March, the conference could install some form of instant replay in football for the 2005 season, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported last night.
The SEC's football coaches met as a group here yesterday morning during the America Football Coaches Association's annual convention. Commissioner Mike Slive briefed them on several topics, including the possible adoption of instant replay.
''I think it is fair to say that the coaches were very enthusiastic about the idea,'' Slive said.
Six of the 11 SEC coaches who attended the meeting (LSU's Les Miles didn't make it) were asked to share their thoughts about instant replay. All six said they were in favor of implementing some kind of plan this fall.
''Oh, I think it is going to happen,'' Tennessee Coach Phillip Fulmer said. ''And I think it is a step in the right direction.''
''What it does is address a situation where there seems to be an obvious mistake,'' Georgia Coach Mark Richt said. ''Everybody wants to get those kind of calls right. You don't want a game decided on what is clearly a blown call.''
Slive said he will petition the NCAA this week to allow the SEC to implement the instant replay system. He will then bring it before his athletics directors during their March meeting for final approval.
Two SEC ADs said they were very much in favor of the move.
''I think it's great,'' Florida's Jeremy Foley said. ''There is so much on the line, and if you lose one game you can be out of the national championship. So if a mistake is made, and we can correct it, then we should do it. We have to have the same number of cameras working for all games, but I think we can do that.''
''We've got the technology so we should use it in order to make the game more fair,'' Mississippi State's Larry Templeton said.
First, there are some hurdles that have to be cleared, including cost. For SEC games that are televised, there are no additional costs. For games that are not televised, the SEC will have to hire a production company to show the game on pay-per-view. That cost runs about $21,000 per game, usually half of which can be recouped from fans who buy the game.
''Still, if we have four games a week that are not televised, you're talking about an expenditure of about $50,000 per week,'' said Bobby Gaston, the SEC supervisor of officials. ''Over an entire season, you're talking about a significant financial commitment.''
The Big Ten experimented with limited instant replay last season. It consisted of an official in the press box with a television replay machine. Only the official in the box could call for a play to be reviewed. Last season, the Big Ten used instant replay in 57 games and reviewed 43 plays. Of those plays, 21 were modified or overturned.
Other conferences, including the ACC, have expressed an interest in using some form of instant replay.
Cox News Services
LOUISVILLE, Ky. ? If the SEC's athletics directors approve the idea in March, the conference could install some form of instant replay in football for the 2005 season, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported last night.
The SEC's football coaches met as a group here yesterday morning during the America Football Coaches Association's annual convention. Commissioner Mike Slive briefed them on several topics, including the possible adoption of instant replay.
''I think it is fair to say that the coaches were very enthusiastic about the idea,'' Slive said.
Six of the 11 SEC coaches who attended the meeting (LSU's Les Miles didn't make it) were asked to share their thoughts about instant replay. All six said they were in favor of implementing some kind of plan this fall.
''Oh, I think it is going to happen,'' Tennessee Coach Phillip Fulmer said. ''And I think it is a step in the right direction.''
''What it does is address a situation where there seems to be an obvious mistake,'' Georgia Coach Mark Richt said. ''Everybody wants to get those kind of calls right. You don't want a game decided on what is clearly a blown call.''
Slive said he will petition the NCAA this week to allow the SEC to implement the instant replay system. He will then bring it before his athletics directors during their March meeting for final approval.
Two SEC ADs said they were very much in favor of the move.
''I think it's great,'' Florida's Jeremy Foley said. ''There is so much on the line, and if you lose one game you can be out of the national championship. So if a mistake is made, and we can correct it, then we should do it. We have to have the same number of cameras working for all games, but I think we can do that.''
''We've got the technology so we should use it in order to make the game more fair,'' Mississippi State's Larry Templeton said.
First, there are some hurdles that have to be cleared, including cost. For SEC games that are televised, there are no additional costs. For games that are not televised, the SEC will have to hire a production company to show the game on pay-per-view. That cost runs about $21,000 per game, usually half of which can be recouped from fans who buy the game.
''Still, if we have four games a week that are not televised, you're talking about an expenditure of about $50,000 per week,'' said Bobby Gaston, the SEC supervisor of officials. ''Over an entire season, you're talking about a significant financial commitment.''
The Big Ten experimented with limited instant replay last season. It consisted of an official in the press box with a television replay machine. Only the official in the box could call for a play to be reviewed. Last season, the Big Ten used instant replay in 57 games and reviewed 43 plays. Of those plays, 21 were modified or overturned.
Other conferences, including the ACC, have expressed an interest in using some form of instant replay.
