Being a college football referee is no easy task. Officials are often the target of frustration for fans, especially when they make questionable or missed calls. However, the reality is that they make the right call the vast majority of the time, but they often go unnoticed.
To give you an idea of the level of expertise required of college football officials, we present to you an actual Ref Quiz. This quiz is based on questions that real officials have to answer in-game situations, testing their knowledge of the rule book and their ability to make split-second decisions.
Former Big 12 referee Mike Defee, who is now the coordinator of officials for the Mountain West and Conference USA conferences, leads officiating clinics where officials are tested on their knowledge through a multiple-choice quiz. A passing grade is 70 percent, with crew head referees expected to score higher. Failure to pass the quiz means no game assignments for the officials.
At a recent clinic, all core officials from the Mountain West and CUSA passed the quiz, while some developmental officials did not. The quiz is designed to ensure that officials have a good working knowledge of the rule book and are prepared to officiate games.
Taking the quiz myself, I was humbled by my score of 48 percent, showing that officiating college football is no easy feat. The quiz covers various in-game situations and rule interpretations, testing the officials’ ability to make the right call under pressure.
To give you a taste of what it takes to be a college football official, we’ve narrowed down the original 27-question quiz to 15 questions. Test your knowledge and see if you have what it takes to be a college football official.
(Note: If you are unable to view the quiz on the app, you can access it through this direct link.)
(Photo: Ron Jenkins / Getty Images)
