Until there is an effective way to measure how well a football game is officiated, we will be left to draw conclusions using whatever method is most convenient.

Among the most common: groupthink. And it has helped perpetuate the concept that Pac-12 officials have failed to meet a standard worthy of college football, let alone one of the nation’s premier conferences. Several high-profile gaffes have stained the conference’s reputation over the years, but no one -- fans, media, coaches, players, etc. – can say, unequivocally, where the best or worst officiating is done. It’s a numbers game. There are too many games, too many plays, too many moving parts for an accurate, all-encompassing assessment to be done.

Of course, that won’t stop anyone from proclaiming otherwise. The easiest way to a laugh on Twitter is through a #Pac12refs joke and if “Pac-12 refs” is typed into the Google search field, the search engine automatically suggests “are the worst” completes the phrase.

New Pac-12 vice president of officiating David Coleman oversaw a two-day clinic for the league's officials. Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

The demand for better officiating usually goes something like this: “Pac-12 refs suck. They need to train them better.”

To the conference’s credit, it’s trying.

A good first step was hiring David Coleman. He was brought on full-time in May from the NFL, where he hired and trained its officials. As the conference’s vice president of officiating, Coleman will oversee all facets related to officiating and oversaw a two-day clinic for the conference’s officials in late July at Stanford.

As part of an initiative for better transparency, media members were welcome to sit in during the proceedings at Stanford. Nothing was off-limits. The was nothing revolutionary about the two days, but it confirmed, contrary to popular opinion, that these guys are investing the time to improve. There were extensive film sessions, training on mechanics, breakout sessions for specific positions – both in the classroom and on the field -- and a written test. For an observer, it was boringly detail-oriented, but reflected what you would hope to see from a conference of the Pac-12’s stature.

Not that any of that matters when the inevitable blown calls are made, but for all the piling on that happens related to officiating, it’s only fair to point out what they’re doing right.

For coaches, what matters most is consistency. They will, if often begrudgingly, accept blown judgment calls, but consistency was the buzzword when every head coach was polled on the topic at the ESPN car wash a few weeks ago.

“What you get a lot of times with officiating is you get, ‘Here are the things we are watching for this year, point of emphasis,’ and then the first three weeks those penalties are called and you don’t see them called the rest of the year,” Cal coach Sonny Dykes said. “You want the games to be officiated consistently on a week-to-week basis. You don’t want some directive to come down from the league office, ‘This week, no holding.’ And you look up and see no holding penalties and the next week you have 15. The rules are the rules. They’re the same in Week 1 as they are in Week 13.”

Dykes' biggest gripe with officiating over the years, not just in the Pac-12, has been with lacking of uniformity.

“It can vary from crew to crew. I’ve had guys explain holding to me one week, they’ll say, ‘We’re not going to call holding if it doesn’t impact the play.’ And then the next crew will come in and say, ‘Holding is holding whether it impacts a play or not.’ The league recognizes that. They know there have been some issues and I’m excited that they’re dealing with it.”

As for if there will be any noticeable differences, well, the season starts two weeks from today.