Paul Finebaum Takes Aim at SEC After Big 12 Admits Notre Dame-BYU Referee Blunder

The Big 12 said one second should have remained for Notre Dame at BYU, a week after the SEC stayed silent on a disputed Georgia-Alabama no-call.

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ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum credited the Big 12 for publicly admitting its replay crew wrongly ended Notre Dame’s 28-24 loss at BYU, then used the moment to criticize the SEC for staying silent after its own officiating controversy.

Finebaum opened his response on Sunday’s edition of The Matt Barrie Show with praise for the league office. “Well, first of all, let me compliment the Big 12. They at least were transparent, unlike the SEC, unlike others,” he said.

Big 12 admits Notre Dame-BYU error

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Notre Dame had first-and-goal inside the BYU 10-yard line Saturday night in Provo when quarterback CJ Carr’s pass to Jaden Greathouse fell incomplete in the end zone. Replays showed one second left when the ball hit the turf, but officials ended the game.

The Big 12 said hours later that “time remained on the clock when the ball hit the ground and the play was incorrectly cleared by the replay officiating crew.” The loss ended Notre Dame’s 16-game winning streak.

ESPN host Matt Barrie said the mistake fit a season-long pattern. “Every week we’ve got some sort of college officiating blunder that costs a team an opportunity to win a game,” he said.

Why Finebaum called out the SEC

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Finebaum’s shot at the SEC traces to Georgia’s 20-17 win at Alabama on Oct. 10, when Georgia defensive back KJ Bolden knocked down Rico Scott before Keelon Russell’s fourth-quarter pass reached the end zone. No flag was thrown, and Finebaum wanted the SEC office, “when the sun comes up Monday morning, to try to explain it.”

The SEC never released a statement. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey later said, “We don’t comment on judgment calls,” though he noted the league occasionally addresses errors in rules application.

A clock error is easier to admit than a pass interference no-call, but Finebaum wants the same candor from both leagues. “I don’t accept the inadequacies and, at times, the incompetence of officiating, but I do appreciate some honesty here because fans deserve it,” he said.

Finebaum floats AI officiating

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“I’ve never seen a worse year for officiating,” Finebaum said. “And by the way, it’s going on in the NFL, too, where they are full-time jobs.”

The longtime SEC voice suggested a technological fix. “Just let AI officiate the games. I’m open to that conversation after what I’ve watched this year,” he said.

Finebaum did credit the crew from Ohio State’s 19-15 win at Indiana, where receiver Nick Marsh’s foot landed out of bounds on what would have been a go-ahead touchdown on fourth-and-4 late in the fourth quarter. “But I promise you, if the crew from Notre Dame-BYU or Alabama-Georgia was standing there in the back of the end zone, they would have screwed it up,” he said.

Barrie backed the idea with one condition. “If we’re going to AI this thing up, let’s do it in a quick manner,” he said.