Western Michigan Challenges Michigan’s Game Outcome

INDIANAPOLIS — Western Michigan and its conference have argued that Michigan should not have received an extra second during their recent matchup, which Michigan won in a nail-biting finish.

The NCAA agrees with this viewpoint but stated that there’s nothing it can do about the situation.

On Wednesday, the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Oversight Committee revealed that the replay protocols weren’t followed correctly during Michigan’s last play, which affected the game’s outcome.

The committee emphasized what it had mentioned previously: it lacks the power to reverse the result of the game.

“The committee consulted with national officiating leadership regarding the instant replay protocols,” it explained in a statement.

“Based on that information, the committee found that the replay protocols were not adhered to on the second-to-last play of the contest,” the statement said. “If the protocols had been followed, the outcome would likely have been different.”

Michigan, currently ranked No. 19, secured a 13-12 victory on September 5 with a Hail Mary pass after the replay official added a second back on the clock following an incomplete pass from quarterback Bryce Underwood.

The Mid-American Conference initially accepted the Big Ten’s explanation regarding the game’s conclusion but later joined Western Michigan in requesting a change to the game’s result.

A few hours afterward, the NCAA reaffirmed that the decision would remain unchanged, pointing out that its rules do not provide a framework for overturning game outcomes. The oversight committee reiterated its lack of authority to make such decisions.

“The rules concerning contest results are unequivocal: once a referee declares a game final, no appeals regarding the outcome are allowed,” the committee remarked.