The NCAA’s football oversight committee says Michigan’s Week 1 escape against Western Michigan would not have ended the same way if the proper replay timing procedures had been used.
In a Wednesday statement, the committee said the result “would have been different” had officiating protocols been followed correctly. But it also made clear that it “does not have the authority to overturn the contest.”
Michigan’s 13-12 win came after a chaotic finish in which the officiating crew added one second to the clock after the game appeared to be over. That decision set up Bryce Underwood’s 47-yard Hail Mary to JJ Buchanan, turning what looked like a loss into a Wolverines victory.
The Mid-American Conference responded by filing a formal appeal with the NCAA’s FBS Oversight Committee and the College Football Playoff, asking both to recognize Western Michigan as the winner. That request has not been granted.
The fallout has already produced changes. Before Week 2, NCAA secretary rules-editor for football Matt Young issued timing guidance saying decisions should be based on the “embedded game clock contained within the program feed.”
Under that standard, no time would have been restored in the Western Michigan-Michigan game.
The Big Ten has also adjusted how it handles replay review transparency during TV broadcasts, now showing live audio of conversations between field and replay officials along with the video the crew is reviewing.
The game was officiated by a Big Ten crew, and the league said the officials were correct to put a second back on the clock. That view does not line up with the FBS Oversight Committee’s assessment.
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