ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WILX/Gray News) – The Mid-American Conference is officially appealing Michigan’s controversial last-second win against Western Michigan Saturday night.
MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher released a statement on Tuesday on behalf of the conference, saying that it has formally appealed the result of the game.
Michigan defeated Western Michigan 13-12 on a Hail Mary pass after the replay official put a second back on the clock.
The stadium clock and the one shown on the television broadcast had shown zeroes after Bryce Underwood’s first Hail Mary was thrown out of the back of the end zone.
The conference said that night that it had reached out to the Big Ten office to seek clarification regarding the review and that Big Ten officials provided video and audio of the replay, confirming the call.
But in a turn of events on Tuesday, Steinbrecher announced the official appeal:
“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.
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.
This was not a judgment regarding the proper amount of time to place on the clock. 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.
As a result, the Mid-American Conference has submitted formal appeals to the NCAA FBS Oversight Committee and the College Football Playoff. The MAC is requesting that those bodies recognize Western Michigan as the actual winner of the game for purposes of their respective rankings, evaluations and selection deliberations, and take such other corrective action as may be within their authority.”
Western Michigan University President Russ Kavalhuna called the appeal an important action and thanked those for the outpouring of support for the school.
Kavalhuna said it’s the job of the conferences and the NCAA to enforce the rules, while the team will continue to take the field against any opponent.
“We can show respect for the game while also asking serious questions,” part of Kavalhuna’s response read. “Our job at Western Michigan is to play the game and help our students grow.”
The Big Ten did not immediately respond to the MAC’s appeal announcement.
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