A short list of groups who should be upset with the ACC officiating crew from the Nov. 29, 2003 University of Florida / Florida State University game:

  • Florida fans
  • USC fans
  • Kansas State fans
  • ABC
  • CBS
  • the BCS cabal
  • the AP voters
  • fans of college football

If the refs – Samples, Childress, Roden, Jackson, Foley, McGee, and Key – had gotten even ONE of the SIX blown fumble calls correct, Florida would have easily won the game. If Florida had won that game, they would have vaulted at least four spots in the polls. That would have set up a Florida/LSU rematch for the SEC Championship game instead of the UGA/LSU joke. It doesn’t take much to think that Florida would have won that game, too (view Saban‘s and LSU’s pitiful record against Florida in crunch games). That would mean that LSU would not have been able to leapfrog USC in the polls, and – with K. State beating Oklahoma – likely would have set up a #1 USC vs #4 Florida game for the National Championship instead of the hilarious #2 LSU vs #3 Oklahoma game.

Yes, if its and buts were fruits and nuts and all that … but really, even if you ignore all the potential UF scenarios, the BCS would not be in the silly situation it finds itself if it wasn’t for SIX blown calls by SEVEN bad refs.