Use of centralized, neutral replay officials has emerged as a prominent talking point on the heels of a sometimes contentious College Football Playoff, sources confirmed to CBS Sports. 

The issue is considered a key agenda item at the annual College Football Officiating (CFO) meeting that begins Monday in Dallas. FBS commissioners and their officiating supervisors will meet through Wednesday for what was described as a “debriefing” following the 2024 season.

Centralized replay would put two persons not affiliated with a conference in charge of reviewing plays for all CFP games. Bowl games and perhaps even nonconference matchups in Week Zero could be added to that list. 

Currently, the collaborative replay official and replay supervisor overseeing crews from a particular conference monitor games at the DVSports headquarters in Pittsburgh. In the future, those persons would be neutral. 

It will also be discussed whether hiring one neutral person to oversee the entire replay process throughout the playoff. 

The concept has long been used by the NFL. However, FBS conferences typically stay in their own silos with on-field officials and the use of replay officials paid by the leagues. 

That practice has periodically led to claims of favoritism or outright mistakes. Over the years it’s fair to say Pac-12 officiating had developed a less-than-stellar reputation. The league’s former general counsel famously called in from a boat in 2018 to change a targeting call. 

Following his program’s first visit to Texas in 66 years last season, Georgia coach Kirby Smart said, “They tried to rob us of calls in this place.” The SEC game was officiated by what is largely thought to be the game’s best officials.

Earlier this month, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark called for the CFP to address national officiating standards following a controversial no-call in the Peach Bowl. 

Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti told CBS Sports prior to last Sunday’s CFP commissioners meeting that, in the months ahead, there would be discussions about “scheduling officials and ensuring consistent officiating.” 

Ohio State coach Ryan Day was asked about the state of officiating. The Buckeyes averaged the 11th fewest penalties among Power Four schools. Opponents averaged only 3.7 penalties per game against Ohio State, fewest in the nation. Opposing offenses hadn’t been called for holding against the nation’s No. 1 defense since Sept. 21, a run of almost 800 plays. 

“Going through this first time where there’s 12 teams in the playoffs, there are a lot of things that we’ll learn from,” Day said at the CFP National Championship media day. 

“I also think that the playoff committee can learn some different things in what needs to be done in a lot of areas. Commissioner Petitti is certainly looking at those things and making sure it’s the best experience across the board.”

In that Peach Bowl, there was an uproar following a hit by Texas defensive back Michael Taaffe on Arizona State receiver Melquan Stovall. The play was not flagged for targeting. Influential figures such as CBS Sports analyst Gene Steratore pointed out the tackle “meets all the criteria of targeting” on social media. 

Protocol allows for a pool reporter from media covering the game to submit questions to a crew after such a play. No such request was made for this particular play, CFP officials told CBS Sports. 

The Big Ten crew was headed by veteran referee Larry Smith. The replay official was Brian Brown, who formerly worked for the Pac-12 and is listed as a UFL official. 

That was the last CFP game worked by Big Ten officials; the semifinals and championship game contained Big Ten teams, which eliminated the league’s officials from working games that involved teams from the conference. 

For the first time in CFP history, an SEC crew worked the championship game. That crew called a playoff-high 23 penalties in the Penn State-Boise State Fiesta Bowl quarterfinal. The average for the 11 playoff games was slightly more than 12 combined penalties. Notre Dame and Ohio State combined for nine penalties in the CFP title game. 

This week’s discussion regarding a centralized replay official is expected to be limited to the postseason. It is still considered a heavy lift to get conferences to use neutral officials during the regular season. 

The discussion may even go as far as suggesting a neutral figure to oversee the replay. Veteran Fox Sports NFL rules analyst Dean Blandino — a widely respected figure in the industry — has been mentioned. However, the issue is so complicated that his affiliation with Fox, which has the Big Ten media rights, could be an issue.

For example, ESPN has the media rights to the SEC. While the two powerhouse conferences have become partners off the field forming a joint advisory group last year, they remain rivals on the field. The Big Ten has won back-to-back national championships. Meanwhile, the SEC has missed out on playing for the championship in consecutive seasons for the first time in 19 years. 

“There’s a lot of politics,” one source said. 

A Fox spokesman said Blandino wasn’t available for comment. Sources at this week’s meeting spoke only for background because of the sensitive nature of the talks. There was general interest from some conference officiating coordinators in exploring the concept of centralized replay. 

 Also on the CFO agenda …

• Discussion of a coaches’ challenge similar to the NFL.
• Faking injuries. This is an issue that continues to be discussed by the Division NCAA Football Rules Committee, which will meet next month to more specifically address formal rules changes.
• Disconcerting signals used by the defense to confuse the offense. 
• Helmet communications debuted in the 2024 season, so the next step is so-called “wearable” technology on the wrist or waist. Such devices involve a screen to which coaches could transmit plays as if it were a text or graphic on a cell phone. Several high school and college teams use the technology in practice. 
• Targeting. 
• The substitution issue that led to a rule change in the regular season game between Ohio State and Oregon. Ducks coach Dan Lanning strategically placed 12th defender on the field late to force a penalty and run clock. 

The CFO was formed in 2008 by the NCAA and Collegiate Commissioners Association “for the purpose of ensuring consistent application of NCAA football playing rules.