You bet your life…Under the category of “Gosh, it looked like those morons were trying to throw the game”; we unearth an article from the Los Angeles Times which states what seems like the obvious for those of us that witnessed the actual event:
Big Ten crew under cloud of suspicion
Referee Stephen Pamon is at center of controversy.
By Lonnie White, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
December 20, 2007
Although there has not been any evidence linking Big Ten Conference referee Stephen Pamon to gambling on games, Las Vegas oddsmakers are leery of game-fixing at the college football level.
Two games from the 2007 regular season have come into question regarding Pamon, an officiating crew chief with a history of bankruptcy and gambling: Penn State's victory over Purdue on Nov. 3 and Illinois' upset win over Ohio State on Nov. 10.
"Both games had disproportionate money bet on the teams that benefited from the objectionable calls in those games in Penn State and Illinois," said RJ Bell of Pregame.com.
"On average, 70% of teams end games within one touchdown of the Las Vegas spread," Bell said. "Which means that a single corrupt call that results in one touchdown -- or a touchdown denied to an opponent -- would allow a gambler to win 70% of his bets."
It will be interesting to see the fallout regarding Pamon, whose officiating crew made several questionable calls in both games.
