Home / Sports / MAC Fights NCAA Over Controversial Game Ending
MAC Fights NCAA Over Controversial Game Ending
8 Sep
Summary
- MAC appealed to NCAA FBS Oversight Committee over replay protocol.
- Conference claims replay crew used wrong clock feed.
- Western Michigan seeks recognition as game winner.
The Mid-American Conference (MAC) has initiated a formal appeal to the NCAA's FBS Oversight Committee and the College Football Playoff committee concerning the outcome of the recent game between Michigan and Western Michigan. The conference asserts that the replay process at the end of the game deviated from established protocol.
Specifically, the MAC claims that the Big Ten Conference replay crew relied on an embedded replay system clock rather than the game clock displayed on the program feed. This procedural error, according to the MAC, resulted in one second being inaccurately added to the game clock, allowing Michigan to run an additional play for the winning score.
The appeal requests that these NCAA bodies officially recognize Western Michigan as the victor for ranking and selection deliberations. While the NCAA's rules state that a referee's declaration of the game's end makes the score final, the MAC is pursuing this avenue to contest the officiating error.
Historically, the NCAA has vacated wins due to scandals but has not reversed game outcomes based on officiating mistakes. The outcome of this appeal now rests with the FBS Oversight Committee, with no further recourse expected within the NCAA framework.
