For a few minutes, the most stunning result of the early part of the college football season seemed to be the Western Michigan Broncos upsetting the heavily favored Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium.
The Big House. Bryce Underwood, one of the most heavily promoted recruits of the past decade. New head coach Kyle Whittingham, known for his stability, consistency and avoiding major upsets while with the Utah Utes. And the Broncos took a 12-7 lead with just 38 seconds remaining and the Wolverines out of timeouts.
Everyone knows what happened next. Underwood’s first Hail Mary attempt flew out of the back of the endzone, with the game clock on the broadcast and scoreboard showing 0:00. Game over. But after a poorly-explained review determined that there should have been an additional second added, Underwood was given a second opportunity. JJ Buchanan came down with it, and Wolverines fans stormed the field.
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Nearly everyone outside Michigan was perplexed, or downright angry, about the outcome. The Big Ten’s explanation didn’t make anything better either, with the conference saying the clocks were strobe-synced prior to the game, but that another clock viewed during the replay process had determined there was a second left. Even though the synced cameras showed zero seconds remaining.
Initially, it seemed like that would be the end of it. Western Michigan staff said they communicated with the Big Ten, reviewed the footage and were satisfied that proper procedure had been followed. Tuesday afternoon, though, that all changed.
The Mid-American Conference released a statement, announcing they’d filed a formal appeal to the NCAA FBS Oversight Committee and the College Football Playoff requesting that those two bodies recognize the Broncos as the true winners of the game.
“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,” the statement says. “The established replay protocol requires that the game clock displayed on the program feed be used in determining whether time remained. Instead, the Big Ten Conference replay crew relied upon the clock feed embedded within its replay system. As a result, one second was placed back on the game clock and an additional play was awarded.”
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Interestingly, they also stress that the appeal isn’t contesting the correct amount of time on the clock, just that the rules were improperly applied.
“This was not a judgment regarding the proper amount of time to place on the clock,” it continues. “It was an error in the application of the established replay protocol governing this specific end-of-game timing situation. 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.”
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The conference, as a result, want the NCAA FBS Oversight Committee and College Football to recognize the Western Michigan Broncos as the “actual winner.”
“The MAC is requesting that those bodies recognize Western Michigan as the actual winner of the game for purposes of their respective rankings, evaluations and selection deliberations, and take such other corrective action as may be within their authority,” the statement concludes.
So what does the NCAA rule book actually say about this procedure, and does the MAC have a point? The closest relevant rule seems to govern what video evidence can be evaluated as part of a review. And while it’s not overwhelmingly clear what the proper procedure should be, there is an indication that the “televised production” should be used when evaluating video evidence.
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“All reviews shall be based upon video evidence provided by and coming directly from the televised production of the game or from other video means available to the replay official that is also available to the television producer,” the rule says.
So what chance does the MAC have at getting the result overturned? Very little. Even if there is some truth to this appeal, and the result was unfair to Western Michigan, it’s a near impossibility that an FBS Committee overturns a result that was determined on the field. And it goes without saying that big programs like Michigan are a near-certainty to get the benefit of the doubt in these types of cases.
But the MAC at least showed some backbone and support for its member school after that debacle and what it cost them. Western Michigan may have contended for a College Football Playoff spot, with the benefit of a win over a top-20 opponent, had the game ended at 0:00.
In response, the Big Ten issued a statement of their own, saying, “The Big Ten stands by the statement released following the conclusion of the Western Michigan at Michigan game and the determination by the replay officials. We will have no further comment on the matter.”
Sums up where both sides are, and why this controversy will never reach a satisfactory resolution for all involved parties.
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