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January 5, 2025
Springville, Indiana – CFB News Now had a chance to catch up with Steve Shaw—the NCAA’s National Coordinator of Officials—at an oddly timed January wedding in Springville, Indiana on Saturday. After more than an hour of small talk and at least two rye old fashioneds, CFBNN’s Editor-in-Chief cornered Shaw to ask the question on everyone’s minds: what is targeting?
“If I’m being honest, I have no idea. No one does,” said Shaw through slightly slurred speech.
How then are calls made once they go to the remote replay booth? Shaw says that depends on what region the game is being played in.
“I heard the guys out west just have a gold fish in a tank with a line right down the middle, and if, after about 20 seconds, the gold fish is on the left, it’s targeting, if it’s on the right, it’s not. Pretty neat,” Shaw said.
“Then you got the guys down in the SEC who say targeting is like pornography: they can’t define it, but they know it when they see it. God bless ’em,” Shaw said before ordering another old fashioned.
Will there be any updates made to the rule after some questionable and polarizing calls during the 2024 season, including one that kept Miami unbeaten, one that helped Georgia fend off Georgia Tech, and one that helped the Texas Longhorns advance to the CFP semifinals? Shaw was unable to answer questions by this point, and instead laid his head down on one of the reception tables and began muttering unintelligibly.
