Don’t forget that roughly half of the SEC refs are from the State of Alabama. Many of them have Alabama ties and have shown repeatedly over the years that they will protect the tide no matter what. That’s been going on since at least back to 1960 and I don’t think anything has changed. The only way that ever gets fixed is to move the headquarters out of Birmingham and clean house on the referees, which don’t do a good job even when they are not busy protecting Alabama. We all have seen it many times. I myself have seen enough SEC ref screw jobs to write a book going back to the worst case of all in 1961.
Do you have a cite for your claim that half the Refs are from Alabama. That seems unlikely. And wouldn't moving the SEC office just create a new bias?
The SEC does not allow refs to call games involving a school they attended, a school their spouse or children attended, a school that employs a relative, a school where they have a business relationship, or - if the ref is a former player - a team that employs a refs former coach or teammate (during the Croom era there were a couple of former Bama players who could not officiate MSU games).
Hometown and home state are only considerations for the SEC Championship game.
Refs make bad calls, and it is only human nature to assume there is bias. I believe Hanlon's razor applies: "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity".
What is a more attractive television product: A league where upsets are always possible, or a league where just 1 or 3 teams win all the time? SEC football is an extremely valuable television commodity, and only a fool would risk losing that money - along with likely jail time - by manipulating the outcomes of games.
