Turns out, had the officials followed the correct protocol during the highly-controversial finish to the Western Michigan versus Michigan game earlier this month, the Wolverines would currently have a loss on their record.
The ending of what was one of the wildest games of the season remains a major talking point nearly three weeks after Michigan won on a second Hail Mary attempt in the final seconds of its season opener.
Should the Wolverines have been awarded an additional second on the clock? The NCAA’s FBS oversight committee doesn’t think so.
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During the first attempt, Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood put too much on his pass, which sailed through the back of the end zone.
JJ Buchanan #6 of the Michigan Wolverines caught a game-winning pass with no time left to lift Michigan past Western Michigan 13-12 at Michigan Stadium on Sept. 5, 2026, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (Getty Images)
But, due to a Western Michigan player touching the ball with what Big Ten officials said transpired with :01 seconds remaining on the clock, Michigan was allowed to line up for one final play with the game on the line.
I think you know what happened next: Bryce Underwood connected with a receiver for the second Hail Mary attempt of the drive, with Michigan winning 13-12 in shocking fashion.
The controversy centered around how the Wolverines were awarded the additional time needed to complete the second pass. During their review of the play, Big Ten officials were using a different clock than what was being seen on national television, causing all sorts of confusion across the country as viewers looked on in shock.
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How in the world could the NBC broadcast clock show that time had expired, but Big ten officials were seeing this in a different light? Turns out, the network and Big Ten explained that the television clock was not synced up correctly with the actual game clock.
So, the review team awarded Michigan with one final second of game action, but they actually shouldn’t have even been in that situation.
Western Michigan quarterback Broc Lowry (12) looks to throw during the first half of a college football game against Michigan at Michigan Stadium on Sept. 5, 2026, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
NCAA committee says officials screwed up the replay protocol
But, on Wednesday night, the FBS Oversight Committee released a summary of the events, noting that if the officials had gone about the replay process in the correct manner, Western Michigan would be sitting here today with a win over the Michigan Wolverines.
“The committee consulted with national officiating leadership regarding the instant replay protocols,” the FBS committee stated. “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.”
Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood (19) exits the field with Director of Player Personnel Ron Bellamy after a 13-12 win over Western Michigan at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
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Unfortunately for anyone hoping Western Michigan would be awarded the win, a caveat in the NCAA’s statement makes that a moot point.
“The committee confirmed that it does not have the authority to overturn the contest,” the NCAA noted. “The playing rules governing the result of a contest are clear. Once the referee declares a contest to be final, no appeal of the outcome is permitted, according to Rules 1-1-3-b and 5-2-9 of the NCAA football rules:
- Rule 1-1-3-b: When the referee declares that the game is ended, the score is final.
- Rule 5-2-9: No rule decision may be changed after the ball is next legally snapped, legally free-kicked or the second or fourth periods have ended.
Essentially, the NCAA is saying that the officials did not follow procedure in how they were using instant-replay, but there is nothing they can do about it now.
That’s it. Done. Michigan keeps its win over Western Michigan.
All of the controversy that took place in the days following the wild ending in Ann Arbor, with statements from the MAC, Big Ten, NBC and NCAA all lead to the same result.
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The Wolverines are still undefeated, for now, and this topic continues to be a point of frustration around college football.