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of the fundamental problem with conference referees. I do not know who will be working this game, but the Pac 12 and ACC both have a strong monetary interest in the outcome. The Pac 12 needs an ND loss and the ACC needs an ND win to get a spot for their team in the final four. The referees are well aware of this, as they are aware of who pays their salaries and reviews their performance. A few million years of evolution has given all humans a strong self-interest bias. The refs probably won't affect the outcome of the game, but the perception is all wrong.

The conferences will never willingly give up this system, they want to have their refs on the field when they play. I suspect that Michigan and Ohio State have de-facto veto power over any refs working for their conference.

Given their relationship with the ACC in all sports, I assume that ND has a place at the table in performance reviews of officials. I have not detected any strong anti ND bias among the ACC football referees. If they are trying to screw ND, they are sure doing a crappy job given the won-loss record.