Big Ten test could expand to all games in '05

[Dakota]

I don't think this directly effects us but may in the future. Does any one know if it effects DIV I-AA? Found this on the South Dakota State's ESPN Club House website:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/clubh...&sport=ncb

[hr]
Updated: Feb. 9, 2005, 10:12 PM ET
Big Ten test could expand to all games in '05
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=1987994
Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS -- An NCAA committee recommended Wednesday that all schools and conferences be allowed to use a video replay system tested last season in the Big Ten.

The recommendation by the Football Rules Committee will be considered by an oversight panel Feb. 24 and, if approved, will be put in place for the regular season this fall.

"The response to video replay nationally and in the Big Ten was overwhelmingly positive," said Chuck Broyles, the coach at Pittsburg State and chairman of the rules committee. "When we have the ability to correct a potentially game-changing error, and we have the technology to do so, we feel this improves the fairness of the game and directly improves the student-athlete experience."

He said many conferences have asked permission to try the replay system for the 2005 season.

The Big Ten in December said replay was used in 28 of 57 conference games last season. Of the 43 calls questioned, 21 were overturned. Games where replay was used averaged 3 minutes longer than games without replay.

Under Wednesday's recommendation, any conference that wants to use video replay must confirm its plans with the rules committee by June 1.

"The preparation, training and educational effort needed to properly administer a system of review requires a commitment from a conference to make it run successfully," Broyles said. "There certainly is interest in the Division I-A level and our committee wants to encourage developments that will help the game."

The video replay would not be used in bowl games or in NCAA championships below the Division I level.

[OK_Jackrabbit]

Re: Big Ten test could expand to all games in '05

I watched a lot of Big Ten football this year on the ESPN GamePlan, and saw just a few reviews. They have created a very unintrusive system. Plus, since most of the Big Ten games are ESPN-Plus games, they don't have as many cameras for the productions as they do on network and national games. So even when it did get used, there often wasn't a good camera angle on the play. I think it worked well, and it's a reasonable system that only rarely delays play.

I doubt that any D1-AA conferences will employ instant replay. Few have television contracts or, when they are broadcast (like SDSU/NDSU last year) there are a bare minimum of cameras involved in the production, making instant replay useless for overturning most calls. You could argue that the variance in the number of cameras (as in the Big Ten system) means instant replay won't be employed uniformly in that conference, and it would be really, really hit or miss in D1-AA.