In the first place Tom the helicopter thing was a joke. Sorry if it offended. I'm not buying the conspiracy any more than I bought it when MCG brought it up so often.
OK, give us your explanation of the inordinate amount of recent calls that were obvious "mistakes" proven to be so by replay and not overturned. I will be the first to admit that the announcers usually have a combined IQ close to that of a 3 minute egg, but when they start refusing to comment on whether they think it will be overturned because of what they have seen in previous replay reviews, that is no longer a single person conspiracy theory,
Bill, Do you at least admit that there is a difference in claiming you're getting screwed because more penalties are called against your team than the opposition and replay not overturning an obvious fumble, completion, or spot challenge. MCG's theory is based upon the fact that there is a conspiracy if the Gators are called for more penalties regardless of whether they committed them or not. My concern that there is something in the works is based upon actual video evidence that is dismissed by replay officials. To me, it is inconceivable that those booth officials are seeing the same replays we are seeing on the TV. Thank goodness, it has not happened to Tennessee yet.
Tom, what I will say that I think will answer your question, is that I've never supported MCG's opinion that the Gators were getting intentionally screwed by the refs. I'm not sure what obvious calls you are talking about, but if it's the Gators then you have to tell which ones. The penalty in the Arkansas game wasn't reviewable, the touchdown by Dustin Doe, dumb ass, was reviewable and it looked to me the call was wrong. However in fairness the announcers looked at a dozen replays and concluded that they thought it was wrong. However the rule is that there has to be clear evidence. I think that is where it was not overturned. However I will also point you back to 2006 and the Auburn game with the Gators and the fumble by Chris Leak that looked clearly to me to be an incomplete pass. The review booth allowed the play to stand which changed the game. In my humble opinion that call was as flagrantly wrong as any that have happened this year. And we were undefeated and ranked very high at the time. I think competence has more to do with it than any conspiracy.
Bill, I am not saying that the conspiracy is for or against the Gators. I don't remember which game I was watching... there have been several where this has occurred. In one game, the announcers (and I) agreed that the ruling had to be overturned on one specific play. It was obviously a bad call. The replay officials "Confirmed the ruling on the field". The announcers were livid. They could not understand what had just happened. Neither could I. About 10 minutes of game time passed and another review. The announcers made statements like "You can see that it was a fumble" but also said "I'm not predicting this one after what happened earlier". You guessed it, "Ruling on the field is confirmed". It was like angles were being withheld from the booth officials. That is the only explanation that would vindicate the officials but then would indict the carrier of the programming that was supplying the replay angles.
The other incriminating factor in the Leak/Auburn call is that the replay official was a hometowner with a son at Auburn. Strange choice for a replay official at best.
Tom, I have seen several of the calls just like you are talking about where the ruling on the field is confirmed. I don't remember any pattern as to teams and I think that the ruling on the field being confirmed can also mean not enough evidence to reverse. More than one of them have left me shaking my head also but think the not enough evidence is a big part of that.