NCAA says missed replay protocol would have changed Western Michigan win but cannot alter result

The NCAA’s Football Bowl Subdivision Oversight Committee determined Wednesday that the final play of the season-opening game between Western Michigan and Michigan was timed incorrectly. The committee said that if the instant-replay timing rules had been applied, the Broncos would have won the 13-12 contest.

"The committee confirmed that it does not have the authority to overturn the contest," the NCAA statement read, citing Rules 1-1-3-b and 5-2-9, which prevent any appeal once a referee declares a game final.

The error involved the Big Ten adding one second back to the clock after Michigan’s initial Hail Mary attempt appeared incomplete. Officials relied on a stadium clock that showed 0:01, rather than the replay feed clock that displayed 0:00 when a Western Michigan player touched the ball after jumping from out of bounds. The added second allowed Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood to connect with JJ Buchanan for a 47-yard touchdown.

The NCAA recently introduced a standard timing protocol stating that the official game time is the clock shown on the broadcast feed, and any replay-review adjustments must use that embedded clock. Under that rule, the game should have ended when the replay clock read zero.

Western Michigan and the Mid-American Conference initially accepted the Big Ten’s explanation, but the MAC later requested that the Broncos be recognized as the winners, arguing that the timing protocol was not followed. The committee’s finding closes the dispute, confirming the result stands.