I’ve never been one to complain about the refs in college football.

I can recall countless situations where either my friends or fans I came across in conversation made excuses for their teams losing by pinning it on the refs. Usually in these instances, bitterness took control and common sense was thrown out the window.

However, I can’t help but wonder what the zebras were thinking in last weekend’s LSU-Georgia game.

In case you missed it, Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green made a brilliant catch in the end zone in the fourth quarter to give the Bulldogs the lead. He was flagged for excessive celebration for….something. Heck, I have no idea. He jumped around with his teammates. What’s wrong with that? See below:

If that wasn’t enough, LSU running back Charles Scott ran for the game-winning touchdown on the next possession. Guess what happened after the scamper? Ding ding! He was also flagged for excessive celebration. As you’ll see in the following clip, Scott did nothing more than point to the sky:

Here’s the NCAA rule on excessive celebration:

NCAA Football Rule 9-2, Article 1 prohibits “Any delayed, excessive, prolonged or choreographed act by which a player (or players) attempts to focus attention upon himself (or themselves)”; in addition, Rule 9-2, Article 1 asserts that “After a score or any other play, the player in possession immediately must return the ball to an official or leave it near the dead-ball spot.”

Both players seemed to act pretty normal in their post-touchdown demeanor. How many times have you seen a guy jump around with his teammates or point to the sky in praise? Hundreds.

In fact, the SEC’s coordinator of officials said after watching tape, Green and Georgia shouldn’t have been penalized.

Tim Brando went off in Saturday’s CBS postgame show, calling for the rule to be abolished. He argued there’s too much of a gray area with officials making judgment calls on excessive celebration penalties.

This seems like more of an SEC issue than a Big 12 issue, but I thought I’d bring it up because it’s a developing story in college football. I can’t recall too many incidents in the Big 12 where excessive celebration was a problem for the officials.

After seeing those Georgia and LSU clips, though, something has to be done to change this rule.

What do you guys think about the situation? As always, discuss.