NCAA establishes ‘standard timing protocol’ after Michigan win

The NCAA is issuing new guidance “to establish a standard timing protocol that will ensure consistency in the administration of all college football games” following Michigan’s controversial 13-12 win over Western Michigan on Saturday.

ESPN obtained a copy of the memo from NCAA National Coordinator Ron Snodgrass, which was approved by NCAA Secretary Rules Editor Matt Young.

“The official time for all college football games is the time displayed on the game clock at the stadium,” the memo states. “When viewing a replay requires a reset or other time adjustment, the replay official’s decision will be based on the built-in game clock contained in the program feed. If the broadcaster is unable to provide an integrated game clock, the replay official will use the game clock graphics displayed as part of the broadcast.

“This synchronization protocol must be followed consistently across all facilities and playgrounds.”

If that guidance had been in place and followed Saturday, Michigan would not have been awarded the extra game and Western Michigan would have won the game 12-7, according to the clock shown on the NBC broadcast.

On the final play of the game, Wolverines quarterback Bryce Underwood threw a Hail Mary pass out of the end zone and ended up in the arms of Western Michigan defensive back Micah Davis.

Television replays showed the clock had reached zero with the ball still in the air.

But Big Ten replay officials ran the clock back a second, giving the Wolverines one more play, with JJ Buchanan throwing a second Hail Mary for the game-winning 47-yard touchdown.

Two hours after the game, the Big Ten issued a statement: “It has been determined that [Davis] started his jump from a set position outside the playing area [left foot] and touched the ball with one second left. Simultaneous imagery of the game and the game clock was used to make the final decision using a direct shot of the game clock in the stadium.”

That extra second prevented Western Michigan, the defending Mid-American Conference champion, from beating the Wolverines for the first time in program history.

On Tuesday, MAC Commissioner John A. Steinbrecher demanded that the NCAA overturn the result and that the College Football Playoff Select Committee recognize the Broncos as the “true winner” in “its evaluation and deliberation.”

“I acknowledge that the Oversight Committee does not generally change scores recorded on the field,” Steinbrecher wrote in a letter to the NCAA. “However, the circumstances of this game are extraordinary. The final result was directly affected by an error by the referee during the replay, resulting from a failure to adhere to the established and specific protocol governing this particular type of timing situation at the end of the half.”

But the NCAA, in an email to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, said its football rules do not include a mechanism to overturn the result of a game. Additionally, the FBS Oversight Committee “does not have the authority” to overturn the result.

According to Article 3 of the NCAA rules, results are final when the head official “declares the game over.” Additionally, regarding final decisions in games, Article 9 states: “No rule decision may be changed after the next time the ball has been correctly kicked, a free throw has been correctly kicked, or the end of the second or fourth periods.”

In a statement, the CFP said it “has received the Mid-American Conference’s letter of appeal and is in the process of review.”

In response to Steinbrecher’s letters, the Big Ten said it stood by its statement made Saturday night.

“There was no malice,” Steinbrecher told ESPN’s Heather Dinich on Tuesday night. “It was a mistake in the protocol. Unfortunately, it happened. “It changed the outcome of what could have been a huge win for Western Michigan.”

A Michigan spokesman told ESPN on Tuesday that the Big Ten is “handling all replay reviews and discussions.”

“We are not involved in Replay as an organization,” spokesman David Ablauf said.

Steinbrecher initially told ESPN on Sunday that he was “confident in the integrity of the process and the integrity of the people involved. The process has been followed, and with that in mind, you must make this decision.”

But Steinbrecher reversed course in a statement Tuesday, saying, “After further review and investigation, it is now apparent that replay protocol was not properly followed in determining whether there was time remaining on the game clock.”

Steinbrecher added that “the established replay protocol requires that the game clock displayed in the program be used to determine whether time remains. Instead, the Big Ten Conference’s replay team relied on the timing built into its replay system. As a result, one second was returned to the game clock and an overtime play was called. This was not a judgment as to the appropriate amount of time to put on the clock.

“This was an error in the application of the established replay protocol governing this particular situation regarding the timing of the game. If protocol had been followed properly and the soft serve timer had been used, no extra game would have been called.”

Michigan was ranked No. 16 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll but fell out of the rankings on Tuesday. The Wolverines will face No. 11 Oklahoma this Saturday in Ann Arbor. Western Michigan coach Lance Taylor said during his weekly news conference Tuesday that his team will “grow up” from the loss.

“We will be better and stronger because of this,” he said, “and we have turned the page.”

The Broncos will play Monmouth in their home opener on Saturday.