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ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN – SEPTEMBER 05: Broc Lowry #12 of the Western Michigan Broncos looks to throw a first half pass against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium on September 05, 2026 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Michigan was able to avoid a near-historic upset against Western Michigan on Saturday in a game that drew significant controversy.
And despite the pushback to the ending, the final result will stand.
NCAA Can’t Overturn Michigan Result
Michigan struggled for much of the game, trailing 12-7 after a late field goal from Western Michigan with less than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter. Michigan was able to get past midfield before quarterback Bryce Underwood threw the ball through the back of the end zone on a Hail Mary pass attempt, with the clock hitting zero.
But officials reviewed the play and determined that a Western Michigan defender hit the ball while he was standing out of bounds with 1 second left on the clock, giving Michigan a final attempt.
Underwood made good this time, finding JJ Buchanan for the game-winning touchdown and giving Michigan a 13-12 victory.
The final second drew controversy, with many suggesting that the game should have ended and that officials gave Michigan a favorable home call. It also prompted questions of whether the game could be reviewed or potentially overturned — a question that also came up for another Michigan team one decade ago.
In a 2016 game, Central Michigan was incorrectly granted an untimed down with no time remaining in the fourth quarter of a game against Oklahoma State, which they turned into a Hail Mary and lateral for a touchdown to win 30-27.
Even though officials acknowledged the error, it was too late to change the outcome. Dieter Kurtenbach of Fox Sports noted that once the on-field official declares the game over, the outcome cannot be changed.
“NCAA football rules say that outcomes cannot be changed after the referee has declared the game over — and only the referee can declare the game finished, so an errant extension of the game cannot be excluded from the result,” Kurtenbach wrote.
That rule applies to Michigan’s win over Western Michigan on Saturday, which allowed the Wolverines to avoid an upset to a 27.5-point underdog and keep their College Football Playoff hopes intact.
Other Controversial College Football Outcomes Have Stood
Michigan’s win over Western Michigan could go down in history with other disputed but ultimately final outcomes. That includes what became known as the Fifth Down Game, a 1990 contest where officials allowed Colorado to have an extra down against Missouri that the Buffaloes used to score the game-winning touchdown.
That play had a massive impact on the season, with Colorado sharing a stake of the national championship with Georgia Tech thanks in part to that victory.
In the 2016 game between Central Michigan and Oklahoma State, the MAC even released a statement admitting the error but saying the result would stand.
“The Mid-American Conference officiating crew from Saturday afternoon’s Central Michigan at Oklahoma State contest made an error on the final play of regulation,” the statement noted. “The crew made a misapplication of the rule and should not have extended the contest with one final play. Despite the error, this will not change the outcome of the contest.”
Nathan Dougherty is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. Previously he wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and served as the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management and Training & Conditioning. He is based out of Rochester, New York, and loves everything football. More about Nathan Dougherty
