Pac-12 football media day notes: Title game to Las Vegas, changes to officiating procedure and more

Commissioner Larry Scott provided a barrage of news Wednesday during his state-of-the-conference address at Pac-12 football media day, with the future of the championship game atop the list.

As expected, the game will move to the Raiders’ new stadium in Las Vegas for the 2020 and 2021 seasons, following the event’s final turn at Levi’s Stadium this December.

Scott provided no information beyond that two-year window.

This is the right move, the only move.

Just as the men’s basketball tournament was energized by the switch from Staples Center in Los Angeles to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, so too will the football title game benefit from the move to Sin City.

It puts the event on a big stage in a destination city.

The next step for the conference — in the Hotline’s view — is to turn the game into an anchor for a larger sporting weekend in Las Vegas, perhaps tied to a men’s basketball doubleheader.

Scott also provided a summary of the external review of Pac-12 football officiating.

Sibson Consulting’s multi-month examination determined that the conference’s officiating process was “fundamentally sound.”

But Scott said all recommendations would be adopted, including:

• The head of officiating to report directly to the Commissioner rather than the football administrator;
• Adoption of a new replay manual codifying processes and procedures that will eliminate the potential for an incident like the one in last year’s Washington State v. USC game reoccurring;
• Enhancements to training programs for officials, and more consistency in grading and training from the officiating supervisors; and
• A new communications protocol with more transparency and public comment around significant calls or errors that either impact player safety or the result of the game.

Two items seem more significant than the others:

1. The increase in transparency and public comment “around significant errors” that impact safety (hello, targeting) and the outcome of the game.

There’s a fine line here — lurch too far toward public comment, and it undermines authority and efficiency.

But at the same time, a reasonable level of transparency adds credibility.

(The Hotline has a suggestion on this front.)

2. The change in reporting structure:

David Coleman, the coordinator of football officials, will report directly to Scott instead of lead football administrator Woodie Dixon.

This was absolutely essential — only by giving Coleman autonomy can the process work most effectively.

Dixon, who doubles as the general counsel and is not a trained official, will no longer exert authority.

In addition …

• Scott did not provide more clarity on the conference’s future bowl lineup. The Rose, Alamo, Las Vegas and Holiday are locked in at the top, but remaining arrangements are TBA.
• Scott briefly addressed the conference’s pursuit of an equity sale/strategic partner: “(We’re) delighted with the interest. As of today, we continue to narrow the field of companies that we’re talking to. We may or may not ultimately do something.”

• Scott added that there is no movement within the conference to drop to eight conference games but that teams will likely start scheduling nonconference games in November as the conference smartly moves to allow more flexibility in the scheduling.