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Ryan McGinn: I'm a firm believer in the "scorched earth" policy when it comes to PAC-12 officiating. Tear the whole institution down and rebuild from the ground up. With Tony Corrente stepping down, they've taken a step in the right direction, but it might take a couple seasons before we see any major improvements.
Sam Barbee: Number 1: learn how to spot the freaking ball correctly. Washington had two plays Saturday that were spotted horribly. On third down and 8, Cyler Miles scrambled for what looked to be enough yards for the first down, but he was spotted a yard short. A whole yard! That ended up being a moot point because Cal fumbled on the next play, but the other came when Cal was awarded a first down when the runner was clearly short. That needs to improve.
Number 2: I think football is being over-regulated at every level and, at some point, the players need to be able to play. As the old adage goes, "Holding happens on every play and you can't call all of them." That goes the same for every other post-snap penalty. Pass interference could be called every passing play. Taunting and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties could be called more often. Just let the kids play. It's more fun to watch and creates a better product. Too man rules never works.
Trace Travers: Pac-12 officiating is like that one Carrie Underwood song crossed with the movie Fatal Attraction. It'll key the side of your truck and stalk you until you can't take it anymore. They have been an absolute joke for as long as I can remember and need to be destroyed.
Patrick Ghidossi: I'm not sure what can happen in season but after this year they need to take a serious look at removing some officials and hiring in more competent referees. Aside from that, a new mandate sent down on high from Larry Scott or a mid-season review providing constructive criticism could help improve the calls on the field. It's a national joke at this point and has become a large part of the conference's reputation. You have to think Scott realizes this and has some sort of solution in the works.
Mark Schipper: I’ll start this by saying, I don’t know, really. I’ve always regarded refereeing, in any sport, as a bit of sheer chaos that cannot be counted on to behave either one way or the other. To me, it is a team’s responsibility not to leave it up to the referees. Play well enough that they cannot matter. I hate complaints about referees and consider teams who say their season could have been this way or that way—if it weren’t for the refs—to be the rankest kind of losers. The other night, for example, I watched most of an NFL game. Those refs are supposed to be, and probably are, the best in all of sport. They are held to high standards and graded out on every call. Well, these refs called a phantom offensive pass interference that cost the underdog a big first down that they had against all odds snatched up on a 3rd and nine. They went to 3rd and 19, ran a draw, and punted. It really changed the game’s trajectory; hurt momentum; gave the other team a reprieve they had not earned. And the call: there was absolutely no offensive pass interference. It was a bunk flag, a phantom. So, hold the Pac-12 refs to a higher standard, pay them more & force them into more training sessions and make it a legitimate professional job. It should be, anyway, with the stakes that all the TV and corporate money have created alongside the increase in gambling. Grade out all their calls and be hard on them, penalize them severely for mistakes. I don’t know, it will never be without flaws . . . .
Josh Estes: What areas of Pac-12 officiating do not need improving? Larry Scott has got to take control of the issue, because that is what it has become. I do not believe that games are decided by one play or one missed call, but the Pac-12 refs are making me re-question that thought process completely. They need to bring in a new head of officiating (which clearly has to happen with the current head of officiating's resent resignation), and overhaul the entire staff. Evaluate everyone from top to bottom. It's become an embarassment nationally for the conference.