College football is officially back, much to the delight of fans around the world. This weekend was the first week of a full slate of games, including a loaded slate of contests on Saturday. But with the NFL season not beginning until next weekend, the NCAA decided to spread out some of the games over Labor Day weekend.
On Sunday night, the LSU Tigers and Florida State Seminoles faced off in the Camping World Kickoff. This was a rematch from last year's opening week contest, where Florida State defeated LSU 24-23.
How do you know the season has officially kicked off? Well, fans were complaining about the referees. Even fans in attendance at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla., shared their thoughts directly with the referees on the field.
Crowd chanting “Refs you suck!” Football is so back 😂
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) September 4, 2023
Florida State fans weren't pleased, as the Seminoles were called for six penalties for a loss of 59 yards. As for LSU, not a single penalty. Seminoles fans felt that the Tigers should have been called for some penalties.
Some college football fans may be asking themselves, "How much do college football referees get paid?"
How much do college football referees get paid?
According to Comparably, NCAA football referees make an average salary of $61,505. Salaries can range between $11,745 and $312,976, with the middle 57 percent of NCAA football referees making between $57,038 and $142,237.
Referees in any sport will be criticized by fans, especially when a call goes against their favorite team. Even if there is no rooting interest, viewers will give their opinions on whether the call made by the on-field officials was correct or if they made a mistake.
Hearing complaints from fans comes with the job of referees. It's only Week 1 of the season, and in a primetime game on Sunday night, that crew didn't get the most positive reviews.