MAC appealing Western Michigan loss to Michigan, wants result counted for CFP and bowl considerations
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The Mid-Atlantic Conference is reversing course and will appeal the result of member Western Michigan’s Week 1 loss in Ann Arbor, alleging that the Big Ten broke protocol by deferring to its own clock during the replay review.
In a statement Tuesday, MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said the conference asserted that “replay protocol was not properly followed in determining whether time remained on the game clock.” The MAC claims that official protocol mandates that referees use the “program feed” — which emanates from the broadcast network’s production truck — to determine the remaining time on the game clock. Instead, per both the Big Ten and NBC, officials deferred to a clock within the conference’s replay review center in ruling that 1 second remained in Saturday’s game, ultimately allowing Michigan to win on a Hail Mary touchdown.
Official Statement Regarding Western Michigan – Michigan Football Game
— MACtion (@MACSports) September 8, 2026
“Despite the protocol expressly requiring the 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,” Steinbrecher wrote in the official appeal memo.
The MAC is appealing to both the NCAA’s FBS Oversight Committee and the College Football Playoff, arguing that Saturday’s result should be counted as a win for Western Michigan for CFP rankings and bowl considerations as the season progresses.
An initial statement from the MAC late Saturday night concluded that the Big Ten provided audio and video that “confirmed the explanation provided.” Steinbrecher even offered “congratulations” to the Wolverines and thanked the Big Ten for its transparency. The commissioner may have been joining Western Michigan’s head coach in taking the high road, but the tune has changed.
Western Michigan will still face steep odds to reach the CFP, but it is commendable that the MAC is asserting itself and demanding equal treatment as many question Michigan and the Big Ten over Saturday’s result.
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