The drama surrounding the Michigan-Western Michigan game has raged on ever since the controversial Week 1 finish involving an arguably phantom second added to the clock.
Michigan received another shot at a Hail Mary and converted, leaving WMU stunned and looking into overturning the finish.
This issue was raised all the way to the NCAA’s FBS Oversight Committee, which released a statement Wednesday evening.
FBS Committee Admits Error in Michigan-WMU Finish
The committee released a short statement to put the matter to rest. One section stands out as the most eye-opening of all.
“The committee consulted with national officiating leadership regarding the instant replay protocols,” the statement read. “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.”
The committee openly admits Western Michigan would have won the game if proper replay protocols were followed. However, the statement notes the committee does not have the ability to overturn the result.
The final sentence puts the matter to rest for good, at least from the NCAA’s perspective: “This will be the Division I FBS Oversight Committee’s only statement on this matter.”
MAC Pursued All Options to Overturn Result
The statement also notes the committee decided to conduct this review due to the Mid-American Conference reaching out, requesting the result be overturned.
Ultimately, the MAC was validated in that proper protocols weren’t followed. The NCAA is just avoiding a massive fiasco by not giving itself the power to overturn results on the field. Such a move may even lead to a lawsuit by Michigan, which will now be avoided.
This is a fascinating situation when it comes to the college football polls. The human element may mean Michigan is viewed as the loser in the WMU game by some, even if the final score indicates otherwise. The NCAA openly admitted the result would have been different if proper protocols were followed. That does not help Michigan’s case to move on from this controversy at all.
Western Michigan got the loss but can still technically reach the College Football Playoff by ending up as the highest-ranked team in the Group of 6. Going undefeated the rest of the way and winning the MAC may achieve that goal given the Week 1 result. That is even more true if Michigan ends up ranked high in the polls at the end of the season.
This controversy is over in the eyes of the NCAA. But it will not be forgotten as the 2026 season rages on.
FBS Committee Makes Shocking Admission on WMU-Michigan Finish