The chaos of the regular season ended, leaving intriguing matchups for the championship games. To contain the drama, the conferences send their best of the best referee when it comes to the national championship game. With college playoff rankings still at stake, the pressure spikes not just for coaches but for game officials, too.

With 4 champions already decided, we still have more intriguing fixtures ahead. As we enter the title game week, referees are tasked with keeping everything fair. So before the kickoff, let’s know about the officials in charge of the title game.

Who are the referees for the Conference Championship Games?

History and Career of Conference Championship Referees

Conference USA had a game between Jacksonville State and Kennesaw State, and KSU won, with Ron Hudson officiating. Not much is known about his career, but over the last few years, he has been part of high-profile games. GameAbove Sports Bowl, Pittsburgh vs. Toledo 2024, Myrtle Beach Bowl Marshall vs. UConn 2022-23, Frisco Bowl Texas-San Antonio vs. San Diego State 2021, and the 2020 Mid-American Conference Championship game between Ball State and the Buffalo Bulls.

For the Sun Belt conference, Tim Barker took charge as JMU beat Troy 31-14. Barker has previously worked for Ivy and Patriot League games before joining the Sun Belt Conference and is known for his accurate decision-making. He has been officiating college football games for at least eleven years in the NCAA Division II and Division III games and has been officiating Sun Belt Games for the past two years. One high-profile matchup was the 2024 Hawaii Bowl as the South Florida Bulls from the American Conference and the San Jose State Spartans from the Mountain West Conference locked horns.

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The American Conference game already has its champions after Tulane’s win over North Texas, which Kevin Randall officiated. He started his career in 2006 with refereeing high school games in Mississippi. Just like players and coaches performing under the spotlight, Randall did it during the 2012 Mississippi high school championship game, which was broadcast on local television.

Long-time NFL official Jack Vaughn reached out and suggested that Randall move to college football. Under the guidance of Vaughan, Randall started officiating junior college games in 2013 and then got his real shot at Conference USA in 2015. Then, Randall worked as a center judge until 2019 and was promoted to head referee. He began working with AAC in 2022.

For another intense clash of Mountain West Conference game, Patrick Foy did the officiating for Boise State vs. UNLV. This is yet another MWC Championship that Patrick Foy will be part of, having also featured in the 2024 game. He also officiated the 2024 Fenway Bowl and the 2023 Myrtle Beach Bowl. Previously, he was a member of the C-USA officiating crew.

For the Big 12 title game against Texas Tech and BYU, it will be Kevin Mar, who started his career as a line judge for CFO West back in 2006, but then he moved to a referee position in 2015. Kevin has been involved in many major games, including as a referee in 13 bowl games, the 2017 MWC championship game, and the 2008 FCS National Championship. Earlier this year, he was inducted into the Beatrice Educational Foundation’s Hall of Fame. Not just does Kevin love his work, but he also admires it.

“I have really enjoyed my job over the last 28 years, and have had a lot of fun moments during these games,” Kevin Mar said. “The opportunities that have been offered to me through my job have been incredible, including the people that I have met, which range from new friends to NFL players and coaches.”

Moving to the Mid-American Conference MAC games, Rick Warne currently serves as a referee. Apart from the Western Michigan vs Miami OH game, he also officiated Toledo Vs Central Michigan this season. In addition to his on-field duties, he also serves as the clinical instructor for the Midwest Football Officials Clinic.

Then comes in the SEC official for the Alabama vs. Georgia game, Daniel Gautreaux. This man grew up in Lafayette and was surrounded by football since childhood, as his father, Greg Gautreaux, was a big-time NFL official for 18 years. So now you know where he got his skills. Since childhood, he worked hard to make it, and after 15 years of hard work, he entered the SEC. He also used to officiate in basketball, which included the Gulf Coast Athletic and Southern States Athletic conferences.

The Big Ten clash between Indiana and Ohio State will be officiated by Ron Snodgrass. Back in 2024, he was the referee for the Texas Longhorns’ first-round matchup in the college football playoff against the Clemson Tigers. He graduated from Missouri State University in 1981, and from 1981 to 1986, he studied physical education teaching and coaching at Missouri State. Then, later on, he also received his Doctor of Education; he became interim director in mid-2021 and later stepped into the director role the next year. He has been a referee for the Big Ten for more than 30 years. So he balanced two things at a time throughout his life.

Virginia vs. Duke’s referee, Jerry Magallanes, was a kick returner and running back at Philadelphia’s Father Judge High School before starting his career as a referee. He began officiating games at the age of 24 and has been an official for more than 25 years. The first game he officiated was in 1997. He also officiated last year’s Cotton Bowl between Ohio State and Texas.

How Championship Game Referees Are Selected in College Football

For bowl games, playoff games, and the national championship, officials aren’t picked by the teams or fans. It’s done by a central authority, College Football Officiating, LLC (CFO), the national coordinator for officials, which specially assigns crews for postseason games.

The official on the crew should be from the same conference as either team playing. The selections are based on objective performance reviews. As conferences nominate their best officiating crews, only those crews are considered for early-round assignments.

As teams move forward in the game, the CFO assesses performance, looking at consistency, past game history, and neutrality before selecting crews for later rounds and the final game. That’s how the team gets their official. So, now let’s wait and see how these officials turn the fate of teams hanging by a thread in the playoffs.