Nebraska football makes the list twice of worst officiating calls of 2024 season
There’s little doubt that the Nebraska football team has had some problems with officiating this season. Ok, “some” problems is a massive understatement. It’s become the thing that is central to the season in a terrible way.
As it turns out, the Huskers are not the only team that’s seen poor officiating. In fact, it appears that officiating in college football across the board has been bad. And that’s why one group has managed to put together the absolute worst officiating performances of the season.
As it turns out, On3 compiled the 10 worst and it should surprise no one that the Nebraska football team has two calls on the list. Once again underlining that it sure seems as if the Huskers have been treated especially unfairly.
Nebraska football makes the list twice of worst officiating calls of the season
The first play on the list is hardly a surprise, though it might be a bit shocking that it’s 8th out of 10. The play under scrutiny is the “worst spot in history” where the Huskers were not given a first down despite obviously getting it because the refs lost track of who had the football.
As On3, what made the bad spot worse, and what made the review booth not reviewing it, was that while the Huskers got the first down on the next play, it took valuable time off the clock.
The second bad call was one where the Cornhuskers were actually the beneficiary.
“In the third quarter of Colorado at Nebraska in September, Shedeur Sanders hit Jimmy Horn Jr. on a crucial third down. Officials ruled it an incomplete pass on the field before watching it on replay. The NBC broadcasters were convinced it would be turned over on the replay.
Officials went on to rule it an incomplete pass, stunning NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay.
“That’s the way I see it, Paul,” said McAulay. “And it does appear indisputable in this case. … This is just stunning. There is no question he gets the control with his hands with that toe down. And this is just a clear error in my mind from the Big Ten Command Center. Wow.”
It’s worth pointing out that there were plenty of calls that were bad enough in that game that “ref show” was a term being thrown around on social media.
At the very least, it would appear that Nebraska is involved in the worst calls of the year far too often. When you consider that Big Ten refs were involved in fully half of the 10 worst calls of the season, that says something.