Pac-12 refs absolutely had money on Stanford vs. Oregon

Somebody check the pockets of the Pac-12 refs in charge of Stanford vs. Oregon because the Ducks got screwed by multiple game-changing calls.

The Pac-12’s hopes of putting a team in the playoff just took a major hit after Stanford upset Oregon in overtime.

The Pac-12 probably has their own refs to blame for it.

Several questionable calls impacted the ending of the game. It started with a targeting call that took Kayvon Thibodeaux, the best defensive player in college football, out of the game.

With Thibodeaux out, the Ducks’ pass rush was severely weakened on the most important drive of the game.

Did the Pac-12 refs screw Oregon on Stanford’s final drive?

The most impactful call of all came on what looked like the final play of the game. Refs flagged this as holding, giving Stanford an untimed down on which they scored the game-tying touchdown.

No angle on the broadcast gave a great look at it, but the holding appeared questionable at best. Stanford got a gift.

To their credit, the Cardinal took advantage. They scored a touchdown to tie and found the endzone again in the first period of overtime. Oregon failed to match and lost.

Ultimately, the Ducks have to take responsibility for their mistakes in the game as well. On the drive that could have completely run down the clock, they committed false starts and inexplicably threw a pass that fell incomplete on second-and-long.

No one wants to see the refs get in the way of a Pac-12 team advancing as far as possible in the national standings. At the same time, Oregon opened the door for the game to come down to those calls.

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