Big Ten announces final decision on new protocol

Last Saturday’s matchup between the Michigan Wolverines and the Western Michigan Broncos ended as one of the most controversial games in college football history. The Wolverines appeared to lose as the clock struck zero after a Hail Mary pass attempt by Michigan’s Bryce Underwood flew to the back of the end zone, but after review, officials determined a second remained on the clock when the ball touched out of bounds, giving Michigan a second chance.

Underwood and the Wolverines took advantage of the opportunity as the star quarterback managed to get the ball to wide receiver J.J Buchanan in a second Hail Mary effort, which resulted in a touchdown. 13-12 was the final score, and Michigan prevailed over Western Michigan in an epic season-opening finish.

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However, the victory ignited outrage across conferences, causing the Big Ten to release a statement and the official internal video used for review during the game to defend its decision. On Tuesday, the MAC filed an official appeal on behalf of Western Michigan, arguing replay protocols weren’t followed correctly.

“The MAC has issued a statement saying ‘it is now evident that replay protocol was not properly followed’ during the Michigan game,” ESPN’s Heather Dinich reported on Tuesday. “The league has submitted formal appeals to the NCAA FBS oversight committee and the CFP, asking they recognize Western Michigan as the actual winner.”

However, the NCAA deemed Michigan the rightful winner of Saturday’s game, confirmed by On3.

“The NCAA announced its rules do not have a protocol for overturning the outcome of a game. The FBS Oversight Committee also does not have the authority to overturn the outcome of a game,” On3 reported.

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In response to Saturday’s controversy, the Big Ten established a standardized timekeeping protocol earlier today that will be implemented to ensure consistency in the administration of all college football games for the remainder of the season.

“The Big Ten is expanding the conference’s in-broadcast replay review to include all Big Ten games that are officiated by Big Ten crews. The league had announced all Friday games would have this access aspect, and they are now expanding to all home games officiated by Big Ten crews. CBS first reported the development,” Pete Thamel of ESPN reported.

If the new development had been announced before last Saturday, the Western Michigan Broncos might have secured arguably the biggest win in program history and started the season 1-0.

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