Who Owns the Refs?

Bama fans like to claim that they own the SEC, but what about the refs? No way! They never get the calls. In fact the refs are always out to get the mighty Tide. So what's the truth? I had the time, so I looked up the penalty numbers for Auburn and Alabama in their first four games. I then went a step further and looked up each of their opponents' penalty numbers as well.

Here is a basic comparison of the penalties called in Alabama's and Auburn's games this year:

	Pen.	Yards	Pen./G	Yards/G	1st dns	1st dns/G
Bama	22	184	5.5	46	10	2.5
Opponents	27	267	6.8	66.8	3	0.8
Auburn	24	208	6	52	9	2.3
Opponents	34	265	8.5	66.3	7	1.8

In a direct comparison between the two, Auburn is averaging 0.5 more penalties and 6 more penalty yards a game than Alabama. Auburn opponents are averaging 1.7 more penalties and .5 less penalty yards a game than Alabama's opponents.

Both Alabama and Auburn have less penalties and penalty yards than their opponents. There is a wider margin of penalties called in Auburn's games. However, there is a wider margin of penalty yardage in Bama's games.

The numbers that really stick out are the 1st downs gained from penalties. Alabama has 7 more 1st downs attributed to penalties than their opponents. Auburn only has two.

You can't find out that much looking at the first set of numbers. Kansas State, one of Auburn's opponents, is averaging 133 yards of penalties a game. On the other hand, Vanderbilt, one of Alabama's opponents, is only averaging 42.7 penalty yards a game. So I decided to look at what Alabama's and Auburn's opponents were averaging in their other games in regards to penalties.

Here is a comparison of the average penalties called in Alabama's and Auburn's opponents' other games and what was called in their games against the Tide and Tigers.

	Pen./G	Yards/G	Opp. Pen./G	Opp. Yards/G
vs. others (avg)	6	50.5	7	53.1
vs. Bama	6.8	66.8	5.5	46
vs. others (avg)	8.6	79.8	7.8	60.3
vs. Auburn	8.5	66.3	6	52

This might paint a clearer picture of what's happening. On average, teams have been penalized more and for more yards when playing Alabama than when playing other teams. This hasn't been the case for Auburn's opponents. Compared to other teams the opponents have played, Auburn and Alabama get called for less penalties, and are penalized for less yards.

So what does this information reveal? Other than the fact that I had too much time on my hands yesterday, it doesn't reveal too much. By these numbers alone, it would appear that Bama is benefiting more from the refs than Auburn is. In reality, these statistics only scratch the surface. They don't indicate the situation surrounding each penalty. Also, there is no record of "no-calls". Alabama and Auburn fans will just have to keep arguing over who owns the refs. There is one thing we can all agree on, though. If ESPN analyst, Todd Blackledge, had his druthers, Bama would have 0 penalties for 0 yards this year.