re: Which SEC team gets special treatment from the officials?

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I laugh at all the band wagon bama fans.

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What bandwagon Bama fans are there?

Apparently all of us.

We always make sure to pay in cash the night before the game. The REC pays in cash only...checks leave a paper trail.

RTR

why are you responding to me?

I'm a gump now

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dkreller

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you were just the last one to post

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SMD

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I laugh at all the band wagon bama fans.

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Every SEC fan who does not live in Bama, knows that Bama gets the most breaks of all teams when it comes to officiating in the SEC. Perhaps its just a coincidence that people who live in Birmingham hire the officials.........

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DISCIPLINE SHOWS: Alabama’s disciplined approach to football is evident in its ability to play a clean football game. The Crimson Tide ranks second nationally in fewest penalties per game, being flagged an average of just 2.83 times per game. The Tide also ranks second in fewest penalty yards in the country, averaging 27.17 per contest. UA leads the SEC in fewest penalties per game (2.83) and ranks second behind Kentucky in penalty yards per game (26.67

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Interesting that the same coach who teaches such discipline was MUCH more penalized when he was at another school in the SEC. His teams didn't stop being penalized until he got to Alabama.

Also, it is notable that the period from 2000-2010, cited above to demonstrate Alabama's favorable treatment, actually spanned all or parts of the tenures of FOUR different Alabama coaches (not counting Price), two of whom were fired for being bad coaches, yet Alabama was consistently less penalized than other teams throughout the period.

If it's the disciplined coaching, why does it only work for Saban when he's at Alabama, and why does it work for every coach at Alabama?

Kentucky BASKETBALL at Rupp.

/thread

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Alabama and Auburn

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Much more Alabama than Auburn in terms of how often it happens, but more Auburn than Alabama in terms of how ridiculously obvious they are about it.

I think it's mainly a case of the SEC offices being in Alabama and mostly populated by Alabama grads and fans, so there's a pervasive pro-Alabama atmosphere at the offices. That, plus the fact that the SEC is one of the classic old-boy networks, leads to, for example, an Alabama alum being head of SEC officials.

If you're an Alabama fan or alum, then you naturally see things in the most favorable light to Alabama, and in a less favorable light to teams that rival Alabama. Over the last 10-12 years, obviously the two teams that have outperformed Alabama are LSU and Florida, so Alabama fans naturally see them in a negative light, including the Alabama fans who wear most of the zebra-striped shirts on the field in SEC games.

Sometimes, obviously, it's intentional, like in 2009 when the SEC officials were more-or-less brazen in their determination to keep Florida and Alabama undefeated going into the SEC championship game. But more often, I think, it's just an almost unconscious inherent bias by officials who happen to be fans and alums of Alabama. I'm sure if I were a game official, my judgment calls would be more likely to go in LSU's favor than against them, even if I were trying to be impartial. The same happens when Alabama fans are game officials. The problem is that almost every game in the SEC has Alabama fans as officials.