- May 21, 2026
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Western Michigan's last-second loss to Michigan on a Hail Mary after a controversial replay review granted the Wolverines an extra play was the biggest story of the college football weekend, but Western Michigan's conference isn't ready to let it go just yet.
Mid-American Conference commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher issued a statement on Tuesday calling for the NCAA FBS Oversight Committee and the College Football Playoff to "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."
"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," Steinbrecher wrote. "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."
Steinbrecher previously told ESPN that he was confident in the process that officials followed on Saturday night "and given that, you have to go with that decision" that resulted in a 13-12 Michigan win. That opinion has obviously changed, although it likely remains a long shot that the result of the game is changed in any official fashion.
Mid-American Conference commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher issued a statement on Tuesday calling for the NCAA FBS Oversight Committee and the College Football Playoff to "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."
"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," Steinbrecher wrote. "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."
Steinbrecher previously told ESPN that he was confident in the process that officials followed on Saturday night "and given that, you have to go with that decision" that resulted in a 13-12 Michigan win. That opinion has obviously changed, although it likely remains a long shot that the result of the game is changed in any official fashion.