Big Ten Releases Final Statement On Michigan's Controversial Win

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The Big Ten issued a brief statement after the MAC filed an appeal of Michigan’s win over Western Michigan.

Michigan salvaged a 13-12 win on Saturday after a replay put one second on the clock for a final play. Bryce Underwood proceeded to throw a 47-yard touchdown pass to JJ Buchanan.

The MAC appealed to the NCAA FBS Oversight Committee and College Football Playoff to recognize Western Michigan as the rightful winner of Saturday’s game. In response, the Big Ten directed everyone back to its original post-game comments.

“The Big Ten stands by the statement released following the conclusion of the Western Michigan at Michigan game and the determination made by the replay officials,” the Big Ten said Tuesday, via ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg. “We will have no further comment on the matter.”

How Big Ten defended Michigan win

After the game, the Big Ten posted footage of the official review. The stadium clock showed one second remaining as WMU’s Micah Davis touched the ball out of bounds on a failed Hail Mary attempt.

“Eighty-five minutes prior to the game, all broadcast cameras used for the replay system, including the camera on the game clock, are synced using a strobe system to ensure all cameras are aligned,” the Big Ten wrote. “Per NCAA Football rule 4-2-3-a, ‘A ball not in player control, other than a kick that scores a field goal, is out of bounds when it touches the ground, a player, a game official or anything else that is out-of-bound, or that is on or outside a boundary line.’ And thus the clock is stopped.”

However, MAC Commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher claimed that officials defied proper replay protocol when not using the NBC program feed, which showed time expire on the same play.

“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.”

This story was originally published by The Spun on Sep 8, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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