There's no understanding fans' obsession with refs

	The Trojans' Reggie Bush drew the attention of plenty of angry fans -- but no refs -- with his push against Notre Dame. Peter Read Miller/SI
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After a once-in-a-decade Saturday in college football, you would think the sport's fans would be floating on cloud nine this week. Judging by my inbox over the past 72 hours, however, the large majority of you are apparently far more fixated with the men who officiate the games than those who actually play them.

A quick sampling:

How can Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart and Pete Carroll sleep knowing they CHEATED to win? Why did an official not post a five-yard penalty for the PUSH that cheated the Irish? The "Bush Push" is a shameful display of cheating.
--Ed Stack, Perry, N.Y.

Why is there no attention being given to the very sketchy officiating at the end of the Penn State-Michigan game Saturday? Usually the media is all over these types of controversies, and rightfully so because it makes the sport fix its problems.
-Brian Durand, Horsham, Pa.

I didn't see these, but there was apparently also a "phantom" touchdown catch in the Georgia-Vanderbilt game, a controversial replay during the Nebraska-Baylor game, and on Tuesday, the Big East acknowledged a blown call in the West Virginia-Louisville game.

Personally, I've never understood our national obsession with referees. I had breakfast with a group of Maryland basketball fans once who spent the entire meal reciting names of ACC officials and their tendencies. The first 15 minutes of SportsCenter last Thursday night were spent analyzing an umpire's hand signal. Larry David even thinks the bingo games at his father's retirement home are rigged.

Call me crazy, but I rarely dwell on officiating. Perhaps it's because I realize that, considering everything that happens over the course of a game, one call here or there -- whether it's in the first quarter or on the final drive -- has infinitely less bearing on the outcome than everything else.

I don't know whether Michigan should have gotten those extra two seconds or not. I do know that, even with their benefit, Chad Henne still had to put the ball in the perfect place and Mario Manningham still had to catch it. Should Bush have been flagged for his push of Leinart? After watching the slow-motion replay and having "Rule 9, Section 3, Article 2b" recited to me by 150 e-mailers, yes. Watching it in live-action, however, I don't know that even the most astute ref would have caught it, and honestly, unless you're a Notre Dame fan, would you really want to see one of the most memorable plays in recent history wiped out by an obscure, rarely enforced penalty?

If anyone would have reason to be upset by the call, you would think it would be the losing coach. Asked about it Monday, though, Notre Dame's Charlie Weis actually praised Bush. "I would hope my running back, with the game on the line, would take the same risk ... because what's the worst thing that can happen? There's a penalty and you get to kick the field goal ... So is it illegal? Yes. But is it also a heads-up play? Yes."

It's good to see someone out there still has some perspective.

Actually, in fairness, there were also plenty of people who wrote in just to share their appreciation of the games they witnessed last weekend. My favorite story came from Matt Mayer, a recent Notre Dame alum I met in South Bend, who made a 17-hour trip from Germany just to attend the game. In our conversation a couple hours before kickoff, he said it would be a "long flight back" Sunday if the Irish lost, and after watching them do so in such excruciating fashion, I figured Matt would be absolutely devastated. Instead, in an e-mail Monday morning, even he was beaming:

From the stands, that fourth-and-9 pass looked like a case of broken coverage, but the television replay later confirmed that the coverage was nearly perfect. So too was the afternoon. What a fantastic game. Definitely worth the transatlantic trip.

It was such an amazing weekend that you don't want to let it go, but alas, we must move onward ...