When Ohio State lost to Illinois in the second-to-last game (28-21), Buckeye fans were filled with disgust. How could OSU get dominated at the line of scrimmage? How could Beanie only carry the ball 20 times and not touch the ball in the 4th quarter? How could Boeckman throw 3 crucial interceptions? And oh yeah, what the hell were the refs doing.

The main call in question was a fumble that was clear as day and not even reviewed. As it stood the Illini got the ball on the 3 yardline and scored a touchown to even the score at 7-7. But there were other calls, or no-calls, that pissed off the Buckeye faithful.

Illinois was among the most penalized team in all of college football, yet only was flagged one time (holding) after OSU fans were screaming for their lives that a holding should have been called both plays prior.

Following the loss, I questioned myself on whether I really should be outraged or if it was just sour grapes. Well, the fact remains that Illinois played a great game and pushed OSU'd D-Line around in the 4th quarter. But in addition, facts are pouring in that the officiating crew that day was SHADY. Excuses aside, I'm calling Shenanigans.

According to this Yahoo report, Official Misconduct, said this among other things:

A Big Ten football officiating team that came under scrutiny for its performance in two conference games last month was led by a crew chief with a history of bankruptcy, casino gambling, child abuse and allegations of sexual harassment, a Yahoo! Sports investigation has revealed.

The revelations about the Big Ten referee, Stephen Pamon, come four months after an NBA referee pleaded guilty to felony charges stemming from allegations he bet on NBA games in which he officiated and provided inside information to high-stakes gamblers.

We will of course track this story as I'm sure it will only get better. Below is the most reviewable fumble of all-time. The actual excuse by the review official was that the equipment was not working correctly at the moment. Geez, nevermind the fact that everyone who watched the game on ABC or in person saw the fumble. For whatever reason the Big Ten nor the NCAA cared to address the issue at the time. Luckily, Yahoo is on top of their game.

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Lloyds Apple said:

	http://www.latimes.com/sports/...&cset=true Membership required, but apparently Vegas is interested because there was an unusual amount of money bet.
	report abuse vote down vote up

December 21, 2007
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