An eight-person officiating crew from the Mid-American Conference found out on Sunday that they were suspended for the next two weeks for an “egregious error” in Central Michigan’s 30-27 victory over Oklahoma State.

After what I’m sure was a very stressful 24 hours for the officials, that same crew has been hired by Bob Bowlsby and the Big 12 Conference to work Big 12 football games, specifically ones that include Iowa State University.

The Big 12 commissioner referred to the mix-up as an “honest mistake” after the game and assured the media present that a hand-written apology would be delivered to both T. Boone Pickens and the Oklahoma State athletic department. The tiny error allowed Central Michigan one more play to complete the following...

Why would the Big 12 pick up a crew that just made such an incredible mistake? Well, it turns out Bowlsby thinks this is the perfect crew to work Iowa State football games.

“It takes a special kind of ineptitude and incompetence to be able to work games for Iowa State University,” Bowlsby said.

“I thought the Cyclones had lost in just about every way imaginable in the last decade. That is until I saw the creative calls from the officiating crew at the end of Saturday’s football game between Central Michigan and Oklahoma State. Our current Big 12 refs just don’t possess that kind of innovation for the game,” Bowlsby continued.

The eight officials and their families are undoubtedly happy to once again be collecting a paycheck, but they will have extremely big shoes to fill.

Just how big of shoes you ask? Yuuuge. Here are a few examples of the quality work bestowed upon Iowa State athletic events by previous officiating crews.

Scoop and score?! Nope, just your typical “whistle-less” forward progress call. The call did bless America with one of the great sound bytes of the Paul Rhoads era, and that is no small feat.

Pretty creative right? Yes, but they wouldn’t actually put points on the board would they?

It turns out they would, and Iowa State’s Jamie Pollard was none too pleased. We have to give credit where credit is due, though. This one was all on the shoulders of the replay officials.

This wasn’t the first time, though, that points were literally put on the board for the other team...

Homan’s first free throw of a two-shot foul. Kansas’ 3-pointer made. Homan’s second free throw of a two-shot foul. Nothing to see here.

The crew will definitely have some film study to do before adequately adjusting the outcome of Iowa State games, but there is no doubt that the talent and potential is there.

“Sometimes one man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” the Big 12 commissioner said after completing the deal with the Mid-American Conference.

Sources tell WRNL that the “gentlemen’s agreement” guaranteed the MAC wouldn’t lose any of their below-average football programs to Big 12 expansion.

The crew is expected to arrive in Fort Worth on Friday evening in time for the 11 a.m. Saturday kickoff between TCU and Iowa State. The Horned Frogs are favored by more than three touchdowns, so the crew will have a nice tune-up while they get their officiating chops up to Big 12 standards.

Jamie Pollard declined comment, but did say he would make his thoughts known on Twitter.