MAC reverses course, appeals Michigan win over Western Michigan

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The Mid-American Conference is walking back its acceptance of the Big Ten's explanation of putting a second back on the clock at the end of the Michigan football vs. Western Michigan game.

Initially, the MAC had accepted what the Big Ten had insisted, thanking the host conference in the process. Here's the statement made on Saturday night by MAC commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher:

Upon the conclusion of the Western Michigan-Michigan football game, the Mid-American Conference and Western Michigan contacted the Big Ten office to seek clarification regarding the replay review and the placement of time back on the game clock.

The Big Ten explained that the ball touched a player who was out of bounds before the clock reached 00:00, resulting in one additional play being awarded. The Big Ten subsequently provided video and audio of the replay, which confirmed the explanation provided to us.

I commend Western Michigan for an outstanding effort and a well-played game, and I offer my congratulations to Michigan.

I also appreciate the collaborative efforts of the Big Ten office and its prompt response in reviewing the play and providing the requested clarification.

Apparently, that's no longer being accepted. The MAC put out another statement on Tuesday saying that the Big Ten did not follow protocol because 'the game clock displayed on the program feed' should have been used compared to what the officiating crew used, which was the clock embedded in the replay system.

The MAC is appealing on behalf of Western Michigan that the Broncos be considered the winner of the game in Week 1 and that Michigan's victory be negated.

After further study and investigation, it is now evident that replay protocol was not properly followed in determining whether time remained on the game clock at the conclusion of the Western Michigan vs. Michigan football game. The established replay protocol requires that the game clock displayed on the program feed be used in determining whether time remained. Instead, the Big Ten Conference replay crew relied upon the clock feed embedded within its replay system. As a result, one second was placed back on the game clock and an additional play was awarded. This was not a judgment regarding the proper amount of time to place on the clock. 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. As a result, the Mid-American Conference has submitted formal appeals to the NCAA FBS Oversight Committee and the College Football Playoff. The MAC is requesting that those bodies recognize Western Michigan as the actual winner of the game for purposes of their respective rankings, evaluations and selection deliberations, and take such other corrective action as may be within their authority.

We'll continue to follow this story as it develops and look forward to a Big Ten response.

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: MAC reverses course, appeals Michigan win over Western Michigan

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