Home · Sports · Sep 8 archive
MAC Asks NCAA to Overturn Michigan Win in Controversial Game
Confirmed
In Short: The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is urging the NCAA and College Football Playoff administrators to recognize Western Michigan as the winner of a recent game against Michigan after a controversial ending.
Following a Hail Mary pass that gave Michigan a 13-12 victory, the MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher has formally appealed to the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision Oversight Committee and the College Football Playoff Committee. According to reports, the replay official added an extra second to the clock, which altered the outcome. In a letter to the FBS Oversight Committee, Steinbrecher stated, 'Had the prescribed protocol been followed and the program-feed clock been used, no additional time would have been restored, no additional play would have been awarded and Western Michigan would have won the game 12–7.
The NCAA, however, has declined to overturn the result, citing its playing rules and the lack of authority for the FBS Oversight Committee to alter game outcomes. Michigan secured its victory on a walk-off Hail Mary play after the replay official put one second back on the clock. The Big Ten has stood by its postgame statement and declined further comment. Western Michigan was initially accepting the explanation but has since changed its stance.
Steinbrecher's request comes as the MAC Commissioner believes the oversight committee should recognize Western Michigan as the actual winner of the contest. '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,' Steinbrecher said in a statement.
Western Michigan and the MAC are asking the governing bodies to award the Broncos a 12–7 victory, noting that no college football game has ever been officially overturned in history. The MAC's appeal is part of a broader effort to influence potential rankings discussions for the postseason, with CFP executive director Rich Clark stating it's too early to say how Western Michigan or Michigan will be treated in these deliberations.
Background
West Michigan and Western Michigan are terms for a region in the U.S. state of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Generally, it refers to the Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland area, and more broadly to most of the region along the Lower Peninsula's Lake Michigan shoreline, but there is no official definition.
What's confirmed
- The MAC cited what it believes to be an “extraordinary” circumstance in appealing the outcome of the Michigan-Western Michigan game and asked NCAA and College Football Playoff administrators on Tuesday to recognize the Broncos as the winner instead of the Wolverines.
- “Accordingly, I respectfully request that the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision Oversight Committee recognize Western Michigan University as the actual winner of this contest, 12–7, and take such action as is within its authority to reflect that determination in NCAA records, rankings, postseason consideration and any other appropriate NCAA purposes,” Steinbrecher said.
- Michigan won 13-12 on a Hail Mary pass after the replay official put one second back on the clock.
What's still developing
- 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.
- In a letter to the FBS Oversight Committee, MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said “established protocol” in this situation is that the television truck is contacted with a request to insert the in-stadium game clock onto “the program feed” — and that is supposed be the sole source of the replay decision.
- Western Michigan was voted the preseason favorite in the MAC, and that would suggest that the possibility certainly exists for it to factor into the CFP rankings.
- (AP) — After review, the Mid-American Conference wants Western Michigan recognized as having defeated Michigan after all.
- Messages seeking comment were sent to the NCAA and CFP.
- Instead of harping on the disputed end-of-game call, Western Michigan coach Lance Taylor is moving forward from the loss.