MAC reverses itself, says Western Michigan should be recognized as winner over Michigan
The strangest Michigan win in recent memory somehow got even stranger Tuesday.
Two days after accepting the Big Ten’s explanation for the controversial final second of Michigan’s 13-12 win over Western Michigan, the Mid-American Conference has completely reversed course.
MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher released a new statement Tuesday saying further investigation determined the proper replay protocol was not followed when officials put one second back on the clock Saturday night.
And this time, the MAC went much further than simply criticizing the process.
The conference says Western Michigan should have won the game, 12-7.
“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,” Steinbrecher said.
According to the MAC, replay officials were required to use the game clock displayed on NBC’s program feed when determining whether time remained. Instead, the Big Ten replay crew used a separate clock feed embedded within its replay system.
That distinction is at the heart of the entire controversy.
Michigan’s first Hail Mary attempt appeared to exhaust the remaining nine seconds Saturday. After review, however, officials ruled Western Michigan defender Micah Davis had touched the ball while established out of bounds with one second remaining.
Michigan was given another snap. Bryce Underwood threw another Hail Mary, and JJ Buchanan came down with the 47-yard touchdown that turned what appeared to be a 12-7 Western Michigan upset into a 13-12 Michigan win.
The Big Ten defended the decision Sunday, explaining that its synchronized replay footage showed the contact occurring with one second remaining. The MAC initially accepted that explanation. Steinbrecher said the video and audio provided by the Big Ten confirmed what had been explained to Western Michigan and even congratulated Michigan on the victory.
Less than 48 hours later, that position is gone.
The MAC has now submitted formal appeals to both the NCAA FBS Oversight Committee and College Football Playoff, asking that Western Michigan be recognized as the “actual winner” for rankings, evaluations and postseason selection purposes.
That does not, at least for now, mean Michigan’s win has officially been removed.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the MAC’s own standings still list Western Michigan at 0-1, while Michigan remains officially credited with the 13-12 victory.
So Michigan is still 1-0 heading into Saturday’s matchup with Oklahoma.
But what originally looked like a controversial call followed by both conferences agreeing to move on has become something entirely different.
The MAC is no longer arguing that Western Michigan merely has a reason to be frustrated.
It is arguing that Western Michigan won the football game.
