College football refs are facing serious questions after time appeared to expire as Western Michigan led Michigan 12-7 in what was believed to be in the end of the game. Teams began to clear the field while coaches headed to the middle of the field for the traditional postgame handshake.
Except the referees announced the play was under review. Minutes later, the referees opted to add one second on the clock and gathered both teams back on the field for the final play.
The result was Bryce Underwood’s Hail Mary touchdown pass to stun WMU with a 13-12 improbable win. Replays appeared to show the clock hit zero before touching a player, which typically ends the game.
Even NBC’s officiating analyst Terry McAulay appeared stunned by the referees’ decision to add more time given the replay.
“I can’t even watch this,” Fox Sports Knoxville’s Garrett Armbrust said of the replay in a September 5, message on X.
“Western Michigan DOMINATED the game. (And won the game) This is sickening. WMU was just robbed absolutely sickening,” Armbrust added.
“Refs will never be held accountable. The game was over. THERE WAS ZERO TIME LEFT. SICKENING.”
Here’s a look at the controversial ending to the Western Michigan-Michigan game. Did the referees make the right decision?
Let us know in the comments.
College Football Refs Face Serious Questions Over Western Michigan-Michigan Ending
Fans had a similar reaction. It will be interesting to see how the referees ultimately explain the decision to add more time.
“This is gross incompetence or malpractice…no other option…and I have no care of either team,” one fan noted. “Absolutely atrocious.”
“I actually can’t tell it’s so close,” another remarked.
Will Western Michigan Bettors Be Paid by Sites Like Kalshi, DraftKings & FanDuel?
With the popularity of sports gambling on the rise, one of the other major questions is how sportsbooks and prediction markets will handle the outcome. Some fans are pushing sites like Kalshi, FanDuel and DraftKings to pay the WMU bettors given the controversial outcome.
We have seen rare examples of sportsbooks paying out both sides of a bet. It will be interesting to see how the prediction markets handle the outcome clouded in controversy.
Western Michigan vs. Michigan: Big Ten Facing Backlash for Lack of Transparency on the Final Seconds of Game
There are plenty of college football media members searching for answers. The Athletic’s Chris Vannini questioned why an explanation was not provided for the officials adding one second back on the clock.
“This Hail Mary situation is EXACTLY why all the replay review situations need to be public and transparent,” Vannini noted. “There has been no explanation. Big Ten added it this year, but only for Friday games.”
Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt is pushing for college football to “nationalize officiating.”
“No way…wild. How did they put a second back on?” Klatt pondered on X. “We need to nationalize officiating.”
Former ESPN “College GameDay” analyst David Pollack claims Western Michigan “got hosed” amid the “indefensible” decision.
“Man I feel so bad for those Western Michigan Kids!” Pollack remarked. “They got hosed man.
“You cant defend the refs. They even said it on the broadcast. Indefensible!”
Western Michigan-Michigan Refs Under Fire as WMU’s Upset Overturned Amid Controversy