NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 01: Head coach Hugh Freeze of the Mississippi Rebels talks with two referees in the second quarter against the Oklahoma State Cowboys during the Allstate Sugar Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 1, 2016 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

SEC referees could set a record this season, and it's not for a good reason

SEC referees are on pace to shatter a mark that they don't want to shatter.

Instant replay, in general, is a good thing.

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No one enjoys watching a college football game that is decided by an errant call from an official and, with that, it always helps to be able to go back and get the call right. However, the SEC is on pace to shatter a mark that most fans won't appreciate.

The Montgomery Advertiser reports that, through three weeks, the conference is on pace to send a whopping 299 plays to review, which would dwarf the 2015 record of 203. That was on full display in last week's epic 48-43 game between Alabama and Ole Miss, with six replay reviews in total, and from a fan's perspective, it made the product much more difficult to consume and enjoy.

Of course, it is very difficult to draw the line between plays that should actually be reviewed and those in which the balance would shift from "getting everything right" to "making the product more watchable". That is the biggest issue here.

Still, the SEC may have a mounting problem in the future if this type of volume becomes the norm when it comes to instant replay, and not even the most supportive fan base would enjoy sitting through five-hour football games to accommodate all of the extra evaluation. At this point, the ground swell just isn't there to do anything about this, but in time, it could certainly appear.