The Michigan Wolverines beat the WMU Broncos 13 to 12 during both teams' college football season opening in Ann Arbor. Now the Mid-American Conference says it has asked the National Collegiate Athletic Association to award the win to WMU.
Near the end of the game, time appeared to run out with WMU winning 12 to 7. But after a review, officials restarted play with one second on the clock, and Michigan overtook Western with a Hail Mary touchdown.
In a statement released Tuesday, the MAC claimed Big Ten Conference officials added the extra second after reviewing a clock that was not synced with the clocks shown on program feeds.
After the game, the Big Ten released a statement explaining how their officials came to their decision:
"Following video review, it was determined Western Michigan’s #18 started his jump from an established out-of-bounds position (left foot) and made contact with the ball with one second remaining on the clock. As shown in the provided video of what was viewed during the replay process, a side-by-side view of the play and the game clock, using a direct shot of the game clock in the stadium, was used to determine the final ruling," the statement read.
Shortly after, the MAC released an initial statement commending both teams and said the Big Ten had provided footage that "confirmed the explanation provided to us".
During a Sunday, Sept. 6 press conference that took place in Kalamazoo the day after the game, WMU President Russ Kavalhuna told reporters that Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti informed him and other WMU and MAC officials that the clock used for the review was not synced with the clock that is shown on program feeds.
"It is a discrepancy — what the viewing public sees and the reviewing officials see," Kavalhuna said.
According to its latest statement, released Tuesday, MAC officials argue this violates NCAA protocol, and said guidelines require decisions to be based off the clock shown on program feeds.
An appeal letter submitted to the NCAA FBS Oversight Committee by the MAC states:
"Rather than relying upon the designated game clock displayed on the program feed, the Big Ten replay crew relied upon a separate clock embedded within its replay system. The two clock feeds were not synchronized. The game clock displayed on the program feed showed that the clock had expired. The clock embedded within the replay system, however, showed time remaining. Despite the protocol expressly requiring replay officials to rely solely upon the game clock displayed on the program feed, the replay crew utilized the unsynchronized replay-system clock and restored time to the game clock. That decision resulted in Michigan being awarded one additional play. On that play, Michigan scored a touchdown, changing the outcome of the game from a 12–7 Western Michigan victory to a 13–12 Michigan victory. This is not simply a disagreement over the proper amount of time to place on the clock, nor is it a judgment concerning an officiating call. It is a failure to follow an established and specific replay protocol designed expressly to govern end-of-half timing situations," the letter read.
In the statement, the MAC said it has asked the NCAA FBS Oversight Committee and the College Football Playoff to award the win to WMU.
