Michigan’s 13-12 win over Western Michigan will stay on the books, but the controversy around that finish isn’t going away.
The FBS Oversight Committee said Wednesday, Sept. 16, that the replay process was not handled correctly on the final sequence of the Wolverines’ Week 1 opener on Sept. 5. Michigan’s 47-yard Hail Mary from Bryce Underwood to JJ Buchanan ended the game, but the committee made clear the second-to-last play should have been treated differently.
“The committee consulted with national officiating leadership regarding the instant replay protocols,” the statement reads in part. “Based on that information, the committee agreed that the instant replay protocols were not followed in the contest’s second-to-last play. Had the protocols been followed, the outcome of the game would have been different.”
That’s the heart of it: the governing body essentially acknowledged Western Michigan should have had the win if the proper procedure had been followed. But the result itself is untouchable now, because the NCAA has no authority to overturn a completed game under the sport’s bylaws.
The key wrinkle came on Michigan’s first Hail Mary attempt. The pass fell incomplete and was ruled on the field to have ended the game with zero seconds left. After replay review, though, officials used a different clock than the one shown on television and put one second back on the clock.
Western Michigan’s coach and president said in a joint press conference the next day that they would not appeal, since there was no process to do so. Then, two days later, the Mid-American Conference changed its position and said it would seek an appeal, asking the NCAA and FBS Oversight Committee to “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.”
Nothing changes in the standings, though. Michigan moved on, used the mess as fuel in Week 2, and responded with a 17-10 upset of then-No. 10 Oklahoma.
The Wolverines, who dropped out of the US LBM Coaches Poll after the Western Michigan scare, climbed back to No. 19 before their Week 3 game against UTEP at 3:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
Western Michigan also bounced back, blasting Monmouth 49-14. The Broncos are 1-1 and head to Houston this weekend for a road game against Rice.
In Other News...
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L.J. Casons return to Ann Arbor this week carried a little extra weight for Michigan fans who remember how much promise surrounded him before injuries and offseason turnover changed the picture. The three-star guard arrived under Dusty May, spent his lone season in the program during the national title run and then saw that year interrupted by a torn ACL, a sequence that made his exit feel less like a routine transfer and more like another reminder of how quickly the roster shifted.
Cason said Mays departure for the Dallas Mavericks played a major role in his decision to enter the portal, and he ultimately landed at Miami. Even so, coming back to receive his championship ring gave him a chance to reconnect with the program and speak about what he sees ahead for Michigan, a conversation that only added to the lingering what-if feeling among fans who wondered what his next chapter might have looked like in Ann Arbor. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Faces Pressure To Hold Off Rivals For Key Legacy Recruit
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The competition is far from limited to Ann Arbor, though, with Kentucky, Illinois and Pitt all still in the picture as Ray works toward a decision that could come by winter. For Michigan, the appeal is obvious: this is the kind of recruit who matters beyond rankings, both because of where hes from and because of what his last name already means around the program. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Win Now Comes With An Official Controversy
Western Michigans grievance from its recent game against Michigan has now been validated in a way that leaves the result unchanged but the debate very much alive. The NCAAs FBS oversight committee confirmed the officiating crew did not properly follow instant replay protocols, and said the game should have gone the Broncos way if those procedures had been handled correctly.
Michigan still keeps the win because the committee does not have the authority to overturn the result, but the ruling adds an uncomfortable layer to a game already under scrutiny. For the Wolverines, it means the record book stays intact while the conversation around how that finish was managed is likely to linger. [Read more 🡒]