The Big 12 will start showing video from its replay center during broadcasts this Saturday, making it the second major conference to crack open the officiating process for viewers. But unlike the ACC’s full audio-video package that debuted this season, the Big 12’s version comes with training wheels.
The Big 12 will provide only the video from its replay center this season, but next year will provide both video and audio from its replay center for all games, according to On3’s Brett McMurphy. The video feed will appear on Fox, ESPN, and TNT broadcasts for Big 12 games, though Friday’s Tulsa-Oklahoma State game won’t feature it since American Conference officials are working that contest.
And the conference’s cautious rollout contrasts sharply with how the ACC jumped in with both feet.
Starting this season, ESPN’s Friday night ACC games and ACC Network’s prime-time Saturday broadcasts are allowing viewers to hear the real-time deliberations between the on-field referee, the press-box replay official, and the league’s command center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
That transparency paid off immediately. During Georgia Tech’s upset of Clemson last weekend, ESPN broadcasters Bob Wischusen and Louis Riddick were very entertained by being able to hear the detailed explanations in the conversations. Wischusen called it “as good as it gets” and “just a great peek behind the curtain” after listening to officials walk through a goal-line review.
Social media response to the ACC’s full access has been overwhelmingly positive. Viewers called it “sensational insight” that makes replays “fly by so much faster” and suggested every conference and the NFL should adopt it immediately.
“We really have nothing to hide,” said ACC senior associate commissioner Michael Strickland.
The Big 12’s phased approach suggests they agree, just more gradually.
Other conferences are watching to see whether fans prefer the ACC’s complete access or if the Big 12’s video-first model proves sufficient. College football now has two transparency templates, and viewer response will likely determine which approach wins out.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.