A week after the ACC announced it will use collaborative instant replay in 2016, the SEC has approved the same measure.
All instant replays will now be looked at by a replay official in the stadium and the SEC Video Command Center at SEC Headquarters at the same time. The command center will assist the replay official in making a determination on whether to uphold or reverse calls, much like how the NBA's new instant replay system works.
"Our goal is to continue to use the best-available resources to support correct outcomes when instant replay is used," said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. "We believe the collaborative effort, which will involve additional officiating experts during replay reviews, will enhance the Conference's football officiating program. I believe this update to the instant replay review process will better support football officiating in the SEC through the use of technology."
The implementation of collaborative instant replay should be viewed a good thing, as it will provide more input into big replay decisions which, theoretically, will help improve the accuracy of calls. Having replay officials in discussion with officiating experts at headquarters should ensure more uniformity in the interpretation of rules.
The biggest needs for replay help come from targeting and catch calls, which will hopefully see an improvement with centralized assistance.
Targeting calls, more than anything else, have caused more discussion and controversy over the enforcement of a rule that is, in its definition, subjective to the person making the call and has the biggest impact on a game because it can lead to an ejection. Having a centralized replay center that looks at all targeting calls will hopefully lead to more uniformity in what is and isn't called targeting.
