The worst referee in the history of college football and someone with an apparent personal vendetta against the Florida Gators may be prominently involved in tomorrow's BCS Championship Game.
It's likely that ACC veteran Jack Childress will head the crew. Childress is no-nonsense, but sometimes he likes to throw the flag a little too much. If he is the head referee, with any luck, he will let some emotions flow and simply separate players.
Jack Childress was the official for the 'Swindle In The Swamp' (or 'The ACC Refs Game') when Childress and his band of goons made SIX crucial calls against the Gators against Florida State in 2003. The errors were serious enough for the ACC commissioner to conduct a review. Not only that, the game was used as the reason why college football went to the "Review Everything" system and not the "Coach's Challenge." If there was a challenge, only a third of Childress' craptacular calls would have been overturned.
I'll be honest, if Jack Childress shows up tomorrow, I will be furious. Florida will not only have to deal with Sam Bradford, but an official who thinks he is the most important part of the game. I am aware that there are other officials on the field with Childress, but his incompetence spread to his crew. Florida lost that game 38-34. Maybe 1 or 2 calls wouldn't make a difference, but there were SIX. In a game expected to be a shootout, Jack Childress may get a chance to show the nation how terrible of an official he is. And the Gators may pay for it.