NCAA can’t overturn WMU-Michigan, but it clarifies timer protocols
The Mid-American Conference made its point.
And Michigan, no surprise, will keep its points — and, as a result, its 13-12 victory over Western Michigan.
The NCAA has confirmed what always was going to be the resolution: It has no protocol or precedent with which to overturn the controversial result from the football game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 5.
The MAC formally filed an appeal with the NCAA and College Football Playoff on Tuesday, Sept. 8, asking for the result to be overturned after Michigan beat Western Michigan on a last-second Hail Mary touchdown. The winning touchdown came after officials put 1 second back on the clock, allowing Michigan one final play.
The MAC, through a statement from commissioner from Jon Steinbrecher, said protocols weren’t followed, and appealed to the NCAA, the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision Oversight Committee and the College Football Playoff to intervene, after the fact. The NCAA’s official rule book, however, clearly states officials’ decisions on the end of games are final, and can’t be overturned.
The Big Ten, in the hours after the wild finish to the game in Ann Arbor, released video and audio to the public showing its replay process in allowing Michigan one last second — an explanation that initially satisfied the MAC and Western Michigan, if not all the pundits. The Big Ten used its internal replay-feed clock. The MAC said in its appeal that the Big Ten should’ve used the embedded-clock feed used on the TV broadcast, in Saturday’s case NBC and Peacock. The clocks weren’t perfectly synced.
While the NCAA said it can’t overturn a game outcome, and added that the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision Oversight Committee has no authority to overturn a game outcome, it did seem to side with the MAC’s argument.
Available technology varies from conference to conference, creating a gray area when it comes to these situations. But according to The Athletic, the NCAA sent a memo to conferences Tuesday that clarified how the system should work moving forward. The memo states the embedded stadium clock on the TV feed should be used to determine if extra time should be added. In the memo, according to The Athletic, the NCAA said that if the TV feed doesn’t have the embedded clock in use, then officials must use the game-clock graphic being used by the TV feed.
If that had been the case Saturday, Michigan wouldn’t have been given one more second, and one more play — and Western Michigan would’ve walked away with the biggest win in program history.
Instead, Western Michigan, a 27.5-point underdog against Michigan, has had to settle for the moral victory, and has decided to take the high road in its response to the officials’ decision. That has led to a lot of positive publicity for the school — including TV appearances on national sports shows and even CNN, exposure worth millions that the school couldn’t otherwise afford. WMU head coach Lance Taylor, meanwhile, said Tuesday that his team is ready to move forward with its season — starting Saturday, Sept. 12, at home against Monmouth.
Western Michigan’s profile has been raised significantly because of the controversy, with the Broncos even receiving Associated Press Top 25 votes. The Broncos, the defending MAC champions, are a formidable early contender to be the Group of Six’s representative in the College Football Playoff. A huge game against Boise State, another Group of Six playoff contender, looms Saturday, Sept. 26, at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo.
A CFP appearance would be worth at least $4 million for the MAC and its 13 football-playing members.
The first CFP rankings will come out Tuesday, Nov. 3.
@tonypaul1984
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: NCAA can’t overturn WMU-Michigan, but it clarifies timer protocols