Thought this spot of message board research was kind of interesting:
All of the following stats are from the 2008 season through the 2017 season. Enjoy.
**Penalty Yards Per Game since 2008**
1. Alabama: 40.11 YPG
2. Mississippi St: 43.52 YPG
3. Tennessee: 43.84 YPG
4. South Carolina: 44.38 YPG
5. Vanderbilt: 45.69 YPG
6. Kentucky: 45.78 YPG
7. Arkansas: 47.13 YPG
8. Ole Miss: 47.71 YPG
9. Missouri: 49.55 YPG
10. Auburn: 49.63 YPG
11. LSU: 50.83 YPG
12. Georgia: 51.33 YPG
13. Texas A&M: 52.23 YPG
14. Florida: 58.36 YPG**Opponent’s Penalty Yards Per Game since 2008**
1. Auburn: 40.64 YPG
2. Alabama: 40.81 YPG
3. Georgia: 43.04 YPG
4. LSU: 43.67 YPG
5. South Carolina: 44.72 YPG
6. Arkansas: 45.08 YPG
7. Mississippi St: 45.53 YPG
8. Florida: 46.26 YPG
9. Ole Miss: 47.63 YPG
10. Kentucky: 49.62 YPG
11. Tennessee: 49.98 YPG
12. Missouri: 50.08 YPG
13. Texas A&M: 50.67 YPG
14. Vanderbilt: 51.5 YPG**Penalty Yards Per HOME Game**
1. Alabama: 38.46 YPG
2. Tennessee: 42.61 YPG
3. Mississippi St: 43.34 YPG
4. South Carolina: 43.88 YPG
5. Ole Miss : 44.41 YPG
6. Georgia: 44.97 YPG
7. Texas A&M: 45.66 YPG
8. Arkansas: 46.22 YPG
9. Vanderbilt: 46.56 YPG
10. Auburn: 47.12 YPG
11. Kentucky: 48.49 YPG
12. LSU: 48.63 YPG
13. Missouri: 49.49 YPG
14. Florida: 57.91 YPG**NOTE: For Missouri and Texas A&M, only the 2012-2017 seasons are counted.
EDIT To add more to OP
**Penalty Yards Per ROAD Game**
1. Kentucky: 41.17 YPG
2. Mississippi St: 42.77 YPG
3. Alabama: 43.14 YPG
4. South Carolina: 43.31 YPG
5. Tennessee: 44.18 YPG
6. Arkansas: 44.41 YPG
7. Vanderbilt: 47.11 YPG
8. Missouri: 48.4 YPG
9. Auburn: 50.61 YPG
10. Ole Miss: 51.42 YPG
11. LSU: 54.93 YPG
12. Florida: 56.76 YPG
13. Texas A&M: 57.77 YPG
14. Georgia: 60.56 YPG**Penalty Yards Difference HOME vs AWAY**
(sorted by yards difference while at HOME)1. Georgia: +15.59
2. Texas A&M: +12.11
3. Ole Miss: +7.01
4. LSU: +6.3
5. Alabama: +4.68
6. Auburn: +3.49
7. Tennessee: +1.57
8. Vanderbilt: +0.55
9. Mississippi St: -0.57
10. South Carolina: -0.57
11. Missouri: -1.09
12. Florida: -1.15
13. Arkansas: -1.81
14. Kentucky: -7.32
That differential kind of jumps out at you, no? And not in a good way.
I was going to toss in a “Mark Richt has lost control” bit of snark here, but incredibly, at +20, Georgia’s 2017 home vs. away differential was even greater than the average. Given that Georgia’s home average was eighth, conference wide, I don’t think that can be chalked up to home field advantage, either.
I’d love to hear somebody ask Steve Shaw to explain it.
Get The Picture 
I have always felt there was something funny going on with the refs against the Dawgs on the road. Glad to find out it wasn’t just my usual tin-foil hat stuff. We need to identify which game officials are doing it and get rid of them.
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Would bet that a large percentage of those penalty yards were racked up in Jacksonville.
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2017: -45
2016: +4
2015: -54
2014: -1
2013: -25
2012: +42
2011: -84
2010: -29
Doesn’t look to be the case.
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That was quick, Senator. 😉
Looks like UF was not on their best behavior, either.
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I’m curious. When doing this analysis was the WLOCP game treated as an away game? Called home game in even years and an away game in odd years?Called a neutral site and not used at all?
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cfbstats.com uses the term “Games on the Road/Neutral Site”.
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The SEC refs never forgave Richt for the Dawg Stomp. They punished him on the regular from there on out.
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Yes. The analysis doesn’t go back that far but I’m betting the Jasper Sanks non-fumble called as a fumble by the Al Ford crew costing UGA the Tech game (ADVD got Ford and his crew suspended for the postseason for that) has something to do with it too.
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Yep the Sanks non-fumble started, and the Gator Stomp cemented, the “playing while Georgia” penalty.
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Who is Penn Wagers, Alex.
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I’ll take Crooked Arrogant Assholes for $100 Alex.
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“Incorrect, Mayor Your pluralization of “Asshole'” clearly indicates that the subject would The Crimson Tide. In Wager’s case it should be Asshole”.
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What was the Notre Dame differential last year. I think we had 822 yards in penalties.
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Those SEC officials went far overboard to be sure no one claimed they were homers. Glad we overcame our own conference’s insecurities.
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My ND friend thought the refs screwed them against us. I can’t say I disagreed with him either
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I will agree that the refs blew many calls for both sides in that game. Though they did get Godwin’s catch right upon further review.
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My boss had a stadium seat that afforded a good view of that play. When it was ruled no catch, a Damer two rows back shot in his direction: “A good quarterback woulda made that throw.”
Upon further review and a reversal, my boss retorted over his shoulder: “Looks to me like a good quarterback just made a hell of a throw!”
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Kirby Smart has lost control
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I’d love to see the yearly breakouts on that. Is it front-loaded? Back-loaded? Consistent?
Officiating is fundamentally an exercise in human psychology. And yet you never hear a whisper about refs doing professional development in areas like emotional intelligence, confirmation bias, stress reactions, or similar interpretative inhibitors. Your mechanics don’t matter a damn if your processing software has subconscious preferences.
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Ahh Vanderbilt, where the refs got so ejection-happy that the NCAA was forced to change the targeting rule.
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Triggered. That hit by Ramik Wilson was as textbook as I’ve ever seen. Even though the targeting was overturned, they kept the 15 yd personal foul, and that gave them the game. I really should let that go, but damn!
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That was the stupidest rule in the history of any sport. Let’s review the play, but even if by the review it is evident there was no foul or “targeting” we are still going to assess a 15 yard penalty. Who the hell approved that?
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The same people that approved the new fair catch rule…………
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Nah, shitty special teams gave that one away.
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As well as the bogus targeting call. It can be two things.
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Agreed and this was Vandy not ND Miami with a title run on the line for both team, where coach can say don’t leave the game in the refs hands. UGA should not have let it be that close but the refs should not have blown the call.
Further the targeting penalty should never have been where the 15 yards could not be over turned no matter how bad the call was blown. Targeting should not be on the bucks. The refs/NCAA blew not calling spearing for years.
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“We should have never let it be that close”??? Well, two targeting penalties that directly led to 14 points for Vanderbilt – at the very beginning and nearly the end of the game – certainly “help it to get that close.” You may have also forgotten we lost about half our offensive playmakers in Knoxville two weeks beforehand. And of course, Penn and company would royally screw us again a few weeks later in Auburn.
In hindsight, it is difficult to imagine a more roller-coaster season of amazing highs and insanely depressing lows.
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I was at the UT game knowing the season went down the toilet. Lost turn over margin, special teams., refs it was team loss.
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Yes, so was I, and we won the Tennessee game, despite the adversity – no one ever gives Richt any credit for that.
And while we’re talking about BS penalties, add the one in that game where we were called for inciting a Tennessee lineman to flinch on a punt, which gave them a first down, and I believe led to their go-ahead score.
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Do we ever hear about officials dong professional development in areas like confirmation bias, emotional intelligence, or stress reactions? Because what they do is 100% an exercise in human psychology. Yes, mechanics help you be in a position to see a play result, but it doesn’t matter much if your interpretation of that play result is being warped by circumstances.
Self awareness can mitigate a lot of those influencers. Yes, I am recommending therapy for our dear SEC officials.
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The AU game had to skew UGA’s 2017 away numbers. Ugly, ugly.
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It would be asking a lot, but I’d love to see what you might consider procedural or formation penalties (false starts, offsides, delay of games, illegal formations, etc) for us at home vs. on the road.
This will hold some water if we seem to get a lot more true judgment penalties like holding, pass interference, etc. It could just be lack of focus or preparedness on the road. Of course, it might not be.
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Consider that Georgia was the victim of a penalty (I rhink in’16) given upon viewing an instant replay of a mundane play. What was obvious was the announcers calling for the replay and mentioning that Georgia was guilty of having too many men on the field and that the penalty could be issued ex post playo. That was the real and only reason they ran the replay…and sho’ nuff…the Dawgs got flagged from that replay. I believe that came from the opposing bench to the announcers ears..somehow…and they played along.
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That was the UT game. Tennessee player fumbled the ball IIRC but it wasn’t called. UGA was flagged for a player not making it to the sideline before ball was snapped. Very cruddy call.
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And “collusion” between the Tennessee bench and the broadcasting team.
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And Russians too I think.
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Tyler Simmons was not offsides.
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Jasper Sanks was down. AJ Green wasn’t celebrating. One player in the back of the endzone after a game winning bomb to beat Tennessee isn’t excessive celebration. Ramik Wilson’s hit was entirely legal. Bama’s hit on Aaron Murray wasn’t.
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And Georgia was NOT off sides on the blocked punt.
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Sorry, Derek..was scrolling from bottom up and didn’t see you had already mentioned it. Probably the largest bad call in College Football history. It cost a well deserving team a National Championship over Alabama.
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All true except the one against UTk. McGraw came off the bench to celebrate, and IMO it’s the reason he was “asked” to move on after the season. No one event that season better illustrated the transition from Richt’s team mentality to Smart’s.
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I’m gonna call bullshit on that one. Watch any game not involving Georgia and watch players from all schools go celebrate in the endzone with less than 30 seconds to play. NEVER called, except for us. And the guy was BEHIND the endzone.
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And Alabama shoved Fromm in the face while he was getting up from the turf and nearly yanked Swift’s head off.
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Don’t forget Ray Drew’s “targeting” against Vandy.
Alabama gets the benefit of the doubt for the perception of being a disciplined football team. Their numbers would be up dramatically if they counted the non calls in the second half of the NCG alone.
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The SEC office is in Hoover for a reason
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…and the Bama WR false started on the 4th down TD pass that tied the game at 20-20.
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I’ve posted this before, but it’s an eye opener.
The AJC used to post college basketball stats for almost every game. I did a study (to satisfy my own suspicions) on some of the stats…particularly the amount of fouls called on the home team vs the opposing team..and the amount of free throws given to the home team vs the opposing team
Turned out the difference was even more skewed in favor of the home team than even a ref hater like I had imagined. In almost every game I surveyed, the home team had a decided advantage in those statistical categories
One could conclude that if it happens in BB it certainly happens in FB.
(One could also conclude that the AJC doesn’t cover college sports on the level it used to..)
Refs are humans, ( I know) and are subject to the pressures of fear (see Boom’s face when pissed at the refs) playing to the crowd, either sub-consciously or consciously, and outright bias and skulduggery
I think in many instances, the Dawgs have been subject to unfairness and in at least a few instances, outright skulduggery. It can hurt. It can even cost you a deserved win…even a Natty..
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And that, among other reasons, is why I can’t wait for robots to take over officiating responsibilities in every sport.
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Refereeing computers, new, powerful, hooked into everything, trusted to run it all, they say they got smart, a new order of intelligence…
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Isn’t Shaw a GT grad?
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I think he went to Bama.
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http://www.rotarytuscaloosa.com/archives/2245
“He is a “Cum Laude” graduate of the University of Alabama with a BS degree in Mathematics.”
No conflict there
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And I was sure he had a BS in BS…
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PWG is real
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And it’s not spectacular
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No surprise refs have been screwing us for years. Cost us a national championship in the most recent football game we played.
No worries, our proactive A.D. Greg Mediocrity is on the case.
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When you look at it in terms of percentages it’s even more glaring… 25%-50% more bad stuff for the good guys. Also telling that it’s the east teams in competition with UGA that get the most benefits. Kentucky, UT and A&M standout. Also Alabama and Arkansas obviously stand out. Would be curious to see which state the refs hail from.
Penn Wagers crew was all South Carolina. A&M is their permanent division rival… just sayin.
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“see which state the refs hail from”…may be telling, but a ref could be screwing Georgia in a game to benefit a team that isn’t on the field. For exampe,, a call that hurts UGA against Tennessee (and costs Georgia the game) benefits UF sometimes.
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So UGA is about 1 holding call per game away, which makes sense when I think about all the games that seem to hinge on a single questionable call going against UGA.
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Holding? What’s that?
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Something we should note in these stats. Mullen had Mississippi State near the top in several categories If that follows him to UF, it will be a factor in their improvement. Penalties, like Offense, Defense, STs and coaching, are a large factor in success or losing or winning.
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Actually, that’s not the case. There’s little correlation between penalties and winning. Check the archives here; I’ve posted about that several times.
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Another crossover between sports and politics… despite is the most underutilized word in the English language.
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Kirby probably has three staff members putting together video with spreadsheets and regression analysis on bad calls we get every week. This will be a non-issue in the coming years.
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What would be an interesting drill would be to do an adjusted penalty yard metric. Instead of doing a a comparison of yards penalized, a look at penalty impact to points or field position. Not sure what would be good rules to evaluate but not all penalties are equal. Does a 10yd block in the back equate to more adj offensive efficiency than a third down holding penalty? No idea but I would bet you would see a different correlation on winning/losing and team bias. To the Senators point, high defensive penalties usually correlate to better defenses. Not sure about the Offensive side of the ball.
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Agree, the impact of a 5 yard penalty my cost a team 50+ yards. The Holyfield kick return against ND where we lost about 65 yards in field position comes to mind, and the Ray Drew and AJ Green horrific calls both cost us games; so who cares about the yardage?
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“Alabama gets more calls and non calls than any other team”. Quote from my father 30 years ago and it still holds true.
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Maybe we’ve had more than our fair share of first year starting qbs? I’m too lazy to go back and check.
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so what your saying is I’m not crazy……they really are out to get us….I feel better now TXS
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