09/08/26 02:38:00
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09/08 14:36 CDT MAC appeals Michigan-Western Michigan result, asks NCAA and CFP
to recognize Broncos as winner
MAC appeals Michigan-Western Michigan result, asks NCAA and CFP to recognize
Broncos as winner
KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) --- After review, the Mid-American Conference wants
Western Michigan recognized as having defeated Michigan after all.
Citing what it believes to be an "extraordinary" circumstance, the MAC appealed
the outcome of the Michigan-Western Michigan game on Tuesday and asked NCAA and
College Football Playoff administrators to recognize the Broncos as the actual
winner. The CFP is a particularly notable request since its bracket selection
choices in December carry significant financial benefits to teams that make the
playoff.
Michigan won 13-12 on a Hail Mary pass Saturday night after the replay official
put one second back on the clock. The stadium clock and the one shown on
television showed zeroes after Bryce Underwood's first Hail Mary try was thrown
out the back of the end zone --- and those, the MAC believes, are the clocks
that count.
"I recognize that the selection committee's responsibilities are governed by
its established criteria and that the committee does not ordinarily alter
results recorded on the field," MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher wrote in his
letter to the CFP. "Nevertheless, the circumstances of this game are
extraordinary. The final outcome was directly affected by a replay officiating
error resulting from the failure to follow an established and specific protocol
designed to resolve end-of-half timing situations. In these circumstances, I
believe it is appropriate for the committee to consider the actual
circumstances of the contest when evaluating Western Michigan."
The controversy was the talk of college football on the long holiday weekend
with many questions surrounding how the officiating crew decided to put a
second back on the clock and give Michigan one more try at the win.
The Big Ten two hours after the game explained that the call was correct and
published a recording of the replay as it was reviewed by the officials; that
showed the game clock at 1 second when the ball was touched by a player, WMU's
Micah Davis, who had just been out of bounds --- meaning the the clock stops on
such contact.
The Big Ten said time had not expired on a separate clock embedded within its
replay system. Western Michigan and the MAC initially accepted the explanation,
but that had changed by Tuesday.
"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,"
Steinbrecher said.
Messages seeking comment were sent to the NCAA, CFP, Big Ten and Michigan. Game
results are rarely if ever changed after the fact unless the NCAA throws out or
vacates results because of rules infractions, though there are countless
examples of questionable decisions by officiating crews affecting the outcome
(Colorado beating Missouri on a fifth down in 1990 is familiar to many).
Steinbrecher said established replay protocol requires that the game clock
displayed on the program feed --- meaning the broadcast --- be used in
determining whether time remained.
"This was not a judgment regarding the proper amount of time to place on the
clock," Steinbrecher said. "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."
Western Michigan was voted as the preseason favorite in the MAC, and that would
suggest that the possibility certainly exists for it to factor into the CFP
rankings. The highest-ranked team from the American, Conference USA, MAC,
Mountain West, Pac-12 or Sun Belt gets an automatic bid into the playoff.
Michigan was ranked No. 16 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll but dropped out of
the rankings Tuesday.
"I recognize that the oversight committee does not ordinarily alter results
recorded on the field," Steinbrecher said in his letter to the NCAA.
"Nevertheless, the circumstances of this game are extraordinary. ... Western
Michigan should not be disadvantaged because the prescribed replay protocol was
not followed and an unsynchronized clock was used to award a play that, under
the applicable procedure, should not have occurred."
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