Why the National Championship Officiating Crew Matters for Bettors

Who could forget one of the more memorable First Responders Bowls featuring Texas State and Rice in 2023?

The Bobcats and Owls combined for 18 penalties for a grand total of 177 yards courtesy of a Conference USA officiating crew. Head referee Ed Ardito was the busiest man in college football, alienating both sides of the ball with every penalty in the book.

The result of the First Responders Bowl is not a shock, as Ardito’s 2.33 personal fouls per game led all Power 5 head referees.

Now, we could see something similar in the National Championship between Washington and Michigan.

Enter ACC head official and National Championship head referee Marcus Woods, who ranks a close second place at 2.25 personal fouls per game.

Woods’ crew threw 168 flags this season, averaging 14 per game. There’s diversity among the laundry dropped on the field, with heavy violations called for false starts, holding, pass interference and personal fouls.

Woods not only trumps any officiating crew in calling personal fouls, but defensive pass interference is a staple of the games called under his watch.

The head referee averages two defensive pass interference calls per game, well above the average of any other ACC crew.

Knowing that penalties will play a factor in the national title game, the question remains if either team will benefit from Woods’ tendencies.

The two teams are polar opposites in terms of penalties, with Michigan being the much more zebra-friendly team.

The Wolverines rank second in penalties this season, committing just 40 at an average of 26.2 yards per game. Washington was penalized heavily in 2023, averaging 7.6 for 71.4 yards per game.

Michigan was flagged for four personal fouls during the season, lower than the 10 committed by Washington.

The biggest area where Woods’ crew could affect the game is defensive pass interference, especially with the Huskies' heavy tendencies to air out the ball. The Wolverines were flagged for pass interference on only two instances the entire season, as Southern Miss was the only other FBS team to commit fewer PI penalties.

The referee crew may have flags prepared for the Washington secondary, as the Huskies received 17 defensive pass interference calls this season, tied with Liberty as the most in college football.