Western Michigan’s controversial, last-second loss to Michigan on Saturday will stand, despite the Mid-American Conference’s attempt to have the result overturned, NCAA officials said Tuesday.
The MAC claimed Tuesday that “replay protocol was not properly followed” in the game, which ended with a game-winning Hail Mary by the Wolverines with no time left.
Time appeared to expire on the play before the game-ending touchdown. But replay officials overturned an initial decision and added a single second to the game clock, paving the way for Michigan’s miraculous 13-12 victory.
MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher issued a statement on Saturday night noting that Big Ten officials showed him a replay confirming the decision.
On Tuesday, Steinbrecher changed course.
“After further study and investigation, it is now evident that replay protocol was not properly followed in determining whether time remained on the game clock at the conclusion of the Western Michigan vs. Michigan football game,” he said in a statement.
Replay protocol typically mandates that the game clock shown on the broadcast and stadium be used for timing decisions, Steinbrecher noted. The Big Ten used the clock in its replay system instead.
“This was not a judgment regarding the proper amount of time to place on the clock. It was an error in the application of the established replay protocol governing this specific end-of-game timing situation,”: Steinbrecher said. “Had the protocol been properly followed and the program-feed clock been used, no additional play would have been awarded, and Western Michigan would have won the game, 12-7.”
MAC officials reached out to College Football Playoff Committee and the FBS Oversight Committee to request that the result of Saturday’s game be changed to reflect a Western Michigan victory.
The NCAA said the result will stand, noting its playing rules do not have a protocol for overturning the outcome of a game and the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision Oversight Committee does not have the authority to do so. According to the NCAA Football Rules Book, the team with the most points at the end of the game is the winner and the score is final when the referee declares the game has ended.
“No rule decision may be changed after the ball is next legally snapped, legally free-kicked or the second or fourth periods have ended,” the rule book says.
Michigan spokesman David Ablauf had no comment on the appeal other than, “The Big Ten handles all replay reviews and discussion. We don’t have any involvement in replay as an institution.”
Following the game, Big Ten leaders noted that they used side-by-side angles of the game clock and the play on the field to make their ruling.
“Eighty-five minutes prior to the game, all broadcast cameras used for the replay system, including the camera on the game clock, are synced using a strobe system to ensure all cameras are aligned,” Big Ten officials said in a statement.
Michigan entered the game ranked 16th in the nation in The Associated Press’ weekly poll. The Wolverines were not included in Tuesday’s updated rankings, despite the victory.
Michigan hosts another game at noon Saturday against No. 11 Oklahoma, with Western Michigan at home against Monmouth that night.
• This article is based in part on wire service reports.
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