If you thought the Michigan-Western Michigan clock debacle was over, think again. Dr. Jon Steinbrecher, the Mid-American Conference’s commissioner, released a statement Tuesday afternoon, appealing to recognize Western Michigan as the actual winner because replay protocol was not properly followed.
The MAC is appealing this to the FBS Oversight Committee and the College Football Playoff.
MAC Appeals WMU-Michigan Game
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“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 the statement.
“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.”
After that second was awarded, Michigan’s Bryce Underwood threw a Hail Mary heave to shock the world and stop the Broncos‘ upset bid. However, it drew a lot of scrutiny and questions about the refereeing, the Big Ten, and Michigan.
“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,” Steinbrecher said.
Steinbrecher and the MAC request that the Oversight Committee and College Football Playoff recognize Western Michigan as the winner for rankings, evaluations and possible bowl and playoff selections.
Statements After the Game Saturday
After Saturday’s game, both the Big Ten and the MAC released statements that seemingly ended the discussion.
“Following video review, it was determined Western Michigan’s #18 started his jump from an established out-of-bounds position (left foot) and made contact with the ball with one second remaining on the clock,” the Big Ten’s statement said.
“As shown in the provided video of what was viewed during the replay process, a side-by-side view of the play and the game clock, using a direct shot of the game clock in the stadium, was used to determine the final ruling.”
The MAC contacted the Big Ten office Saturday for clarification on the review process and, at the time, confirmed the Big Ten’s explanation.
After digging some more, however, it seems like the MAC has not yet finished this debate.
MAC Issues New Statement on Western Michigan-Michigan Game