Big Ten officiating crew facing criticism for botched calls in USC-Michigan game

One of the principal reasons the USC Trojans gave for departing the Pac-12 was that conference commissioners did not hold referees accountable for officiating blunders. Ironically, the Trojans’ inaugural conference game in the Big Ten was plagued by bad and missed calls.

On Sept. 21, the No. 12 Michigan Wolverines defeated the No. 13 Trojans 27-24 at the Big House in Ann Arbor. 

Numerous media outlets reported that the game was marred by poor officiating.

Sports Illustrated summed it up: “Whether it was issues spotting the ball or missing calls, this was not the best game for the Big Ten officiating crew overall in its first conference game of the season.” Per the LAFB Network, “the officiating, or lack thereof, was horrendous.” The New York Times subtly observed that “the Trojans suffered some bad breaks officiating-wise.”

While the Wolverines won the battle in the trenches, the Trojans outgained the Wolverines 397-322 in total yardage, racked up 17 first downs to only 12 for Michigan and amassed nearly 10 times more passing yards than the Maize and Blue (283-32).

The officiating errors began early in the game and continued throughout.

As reported by Athlon Sports, “just one drive into the game, the refs … missed a clear delay of game call on fourth down that could have had major consequences for the Trojans.”