In the wake of Michigan's controversial win over Western Michigan in Week 1, the NCAA has established a standardized protocol for timekeeping.
According to ESPN, NCAA national coordinator of officials Ron Snodgrass sent out a memo regarding a "standard timing protocol that ensures consistency in the administration of all college football games." The policy mandates that the clock embedded in the broadcast feed serve as the official clock for replay reviews.
"The official time for all college football games is the time displayed on the in-stadium game clock," Snodgrass said in the memo. "When a replay review requires time to be restored or otherwise adjusted, the replay official's decision will be based on the embedded game clock contained within the program feed. If the broadcaster is unable to provide an embedded game clock, the replay official will use the game-clock graphic displayed as part of the broadcast feed. This timing protocol should be followed consistently at all institutions and game sites."
On Saturday night, the game appeared to be over as Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood sailed a Hail Mary pass out the back of the end zone. The clock on the NBC broadcast displayed zero when a Western Michigan defender touched the ball out of bounds.
However, upon reviewing, Big Ten officials determined that there was one second remaining. On the second Hail Mary, Underwood connected with JJ Buchanan in the front of the end zone to pull out a miraculous 13-12 win for the Wolverines.
In a statement, the Big Ten said the final ruling was determined by syncing a "side-by-side view of the play and the game clock, using a direct shot of the game clock in the stadium." The conference also released a video of the sync it used, which showed one second remaining when the play ended.
Michigan survived a major scare, but things would have been different if the new standardized protocol had been in place in Week 1.
As Michigan celebrated on the field following its improbable victory, NBC rules expert and former NFL referee Terry McAulay was befuddled. He didn't understand how Big Ten officials found enough evidence to put one second back on the clock.
"The ball isn't even close to touching a player when it goes to zero," McAulay said. "Their system, their hawkeye system, apparently either had a different sync or whatever, and they came up with one second when it touched a player. I don't see that happen. Assuming our clock is correct, it is clearly not touching a player. The ball is clearly still in the air when the clock goes to zero on our screen. The Big Ten is going to have to tell a lot of us how did they get to one second on this play."
Under the new policy -- which directs replay officials to use the official clock embedded in the broadcast -- the game would have been over after the first Hail Mary attempt. The Broncos would have gotten their biggest win in program history, and the Wolverines would be 0-1 heading into a key showdown against Oklahoma.
Initially, Western Michigan and the MAC took the controversial loss in stride. However, after reviewing the replay process used at the end of the game, the conference is calling on the NCAA FBS Oversight Committee and the College Football Playoff to recognize the Broncos as the rightful winners.
"The established replay protocol requires that the game lock displayed on the rotary feed be used in determining whether time remaining," the MAC said in a lengthy statement. "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."
In a statement to CBS Sports' Richard Johnson, CFP executive director Rich Clark said it's too early to determine how it would weigh the controversial ending in potential rankings discussions.
"We would have to bring that to the management committee to give guidance on how that should be considered," Clark said. "We just got the letter today, so I haven't even brought it to the management committee yet."
Western Michigan president Russ Kavalhuna released a statement supporting the MAC's decision on Tuesday.
"Some have read our actions as weak," the statement read. "However, supporting student-athletes and their growth during a time of adversity is strength. "Being bitter doesn't make you better and this should not be mistaken for weakness or agreement. We can show respect for the game while also asking serious questions; I've done both, and I'll keep doing both."
