Updated

Updated · Yahoo Sports · Sep 9

NCAA Orders Replay Clock to Use Broadcast Feed After 1-Second Michigan Controversy

Updated

Updated · Yahoo Sports · Sep 9

NCAA Orders Replay Clock to Use Broadcast Feed After 1-Second Michigan Controversy

Q: How will the CFP committee evaluate Western Michigan after the NCAA refused to overturn their controversial last-second loss to Michigan?

The CFP committee is expected to evaluate Western Michigan based on the game’s official result unless it decides, in its own deliberations, to give informal weight to the MAC’s argument that the Broncos were the “actual winner.” The NCAA has made clear the 13-12 Michigan result will stand because its rules do not allow a game outcome to be overturned after the referee declares the game over. That means, on the official record, Western Michigan has a loss, not a win. The CFP acknowledged it received the MAC’s appeal and said it was reviewing it, but it has not said it will treat the Broncos as victorious. What the committee can still do is consider the context. The MAC’s case is that replay protocol was misapplied, that the wrong clock source was used, and that Western Michigan would have won had the proper broadcast program-feed clock been used. The NCAA’s new guidance standardizing future timing reviews gives that argument added credibility, even though it does not change the result. In practical terms, Western Michigan’s best hope is that the committee views the Michigan game as a highly competitive performance against a major opponent and does not penalize the Broncos as harshly as a typical one-point loss. But unless the CFP takes the unusual step of adopting the MAC’s request for evaluation purposes, Western Michigan will almost certainly be judged with an official loss on its résumé.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Sep 9

Ron Snodgrass, the NCAA's national coordinator of officials, told crews future replay clock resets must use the game clock visible in the official broadcast feed.
The change followed Michigan's 13-12 win over Western Michigan, when replay restored 1 second after an incomplete pass because a Broncos defender touched the ball while stepping out of bounds.
NBC's on-screen clock had already hit zero, but Big Ten replay officials relied on a separate internal camera trained on the stadium clock, creating the mismatch that fueled the dispute.
Michigan then scored on a 47-yard Hail Mary from Bryce Underwood to JJ Buchanan, while the MAC later appealed, arguing the replay booth should not have used a separate clock source.
The NCAA will not overturn the result, but under the new protocol the same review would be barred, meaning Western Michigan would have kept the upset.