Power Ranking The 5 Worst Game-Altering Calls By The Refs That Favored Michigan Against Ohio State
Look I'm not going to make excuses for why Ohio State lost to Michigan on Saturday. There's nothing worse than when a team loses and they start playing the blame game instead of looking themselves in the mirror and realizing they simply weren't good enough. I don't care what the circumstances are, whether the other team hired a Navy Seal to organize the most egregious cheating scandal that this sport has ever seen or not, you have win The Game. That's part of the job description at Ohio State. There are no excuses for losing to them. But it did not help one bit that we were playing 11 on 18 out there on Saturday.
Power Rankings Of Worst Calls By The Officials That Favored Michigan (IN DESCENDING ORDER OF HOW MUCH IT COST THE BUCKEYES THE GAME):
#5. The Obvious Offensive Pass Interference On 3rd Down That You Could See From The Moon But The Referee Looking Directly At It Missed
Some of you may have this higher on your list of calls that affected the outcome of this game due to the fact that it was 3rd down on Michigan's last drive of the game, would've forced them off the field without points, and given Ohio State the ball back with plenty of time and only a 3 point deficit, but I only have it at #5. I know that a blind astronaut on a different planet would've been able to see that the receiver pushes off here, but I'm going to give the ref that is staring directly at the play the benefit of the doubt here. The refs let so many things that Michigan did illegally go all day, that it would've been wrong to make the right call here.
#4. The Time Ohio State Picked Up A Clear 1st Down That Would've Led To Points And A Lead But The Refs Decided To Mark Him 2 Yards Short And Not Even Review It
Okay so I know the score was 0-0 and there was a lot of football left to play, but the reason I have this game-altering missed call higher than the previous game-altering missed call is because it would've led to Ohio State taking the lead and forcing Michigan to play from behind. I know that in real time it is sometimes difficult to see the intricate little details such as a player clearly crossing the yard to gain without going down, but the good news is that Joseph Nicéphore Niépce invented the camera in 1816 and we are now able to take a closer look. So I guess the question now is why did the refs, who have the power to initiate a review, choose not to take their time and get this right? I do not have that answer, but I have narrowed it down to either A.) it helped Michigan to not do so or B.) it hurt Ohio State to do so. Or maybe it was because the sooner the game ended, the sooner they would get to dine with the Michigan Boosters that paid them off! Will get back to you once I conclude which one it was.
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#3. The Time The Michigan Receiver Was 10 Yards Out of Bounds, But The Refs Called It A Catch And Took An Hour To Try And Find A Way Not To Reverse It
Okay so I think it's important to note here that the refs did overturn this wrong call after only an hour and a half of looking at it. They gave it their darn best effort, but the evidence was so insurmountable (think Stalions and the Venmo receipts) that they simply had to turn this in favor of Ohio State or their cover would've been blown. But this reason why this is the 3rd worst missed call of the game, although not technically missed, is because it showed the hand of the refs and also the color of undershirts (maize and blue) they had on underneath those little zebra striped long-sleeves they had on. In no way would anyone ever make the call on the field that this was a catch, let alone the guy who is in perfect position with his eyes directly on the sideline and the receiver. But he went with Catch and then they all put their heads together to see if they could make "the call on the field stand" because there wasn't enough evidence to overturn it. This play showed more so than any other who the refs wanted to win this game.
#2. The Interception** To End The Game That Hit The Ground But The Refs Were Too Excited To Celebrate With Michigan That They Didn't Take Their Time And Watch The Obvious Replay
I know the entire referee crew was chest bumping with the Michigan players and coaches after a hard fought victory**, but someone should've been able to take 10 seconds off from their midgame celebration to take a look and see that the ball hit the ground. I understand that they all just wanted to take off their striped shirts, put on that block M crewneck, and count the under the table cash they just earned, but at some point you have to do your job. This game should be replayed, probably from the very beginning, but at worst from 30 seconds left and Ohio State ball.
#1. The Michigan Touchdown That Was Actually A Clear Interception For Ohio State According To Everyone Except The Referees That Got To Watch It Zoomed In And In Slow Motion
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So I think the good thing about this missed call is that while it completely altered the outcome of the game, at least it brought the country together. I know some people argue about politics, or others may argue religion, but it was good to see that 100% of the American population was able to agree on that fact that this was a clear and obvious Ohio State interception. Well, I guess I shouldn't say 100%. 99.999999% of the world (minus the 1 replay official who had Michigan -3.5) knew what the correct call was here. And it's a shame that this call, which many are saying is the worst in the history of the sport, was worth 7 points when the game ended 30-24. I'm not a Math guy but if this ball rightfully goes to Ohio State, they win this game and there's no disputing that. I saw people say that Corum was the MVP of the game, or maybe JJ McCarthy, but when you really think about it, how does the game ball not go to this ref that said despite literally seeing the ball never be secured by the Michigan player, he was going to give them a touchdown anyways. Now THAT is how you win a football game.
Okay, there you have it. There's my Top 5 Worst Missed Calls That Favored Michigan on Saturday. But please note, this is just MY LIST. You are all free to make your own list of calls that completely changed the outcome of this game in favor of Michigan. There are plenty of more options to choose from!
Again, no excuses but I think it's fair to say that if any one of these 5 egregious calls went the correct way, the Buckeyes win that game. And one can't help but wonder if the budget that once went towards the highest under the table paid coach in NCAA history got reallocated to paying the refs on Saturday.