The controversy surrounding the ending in the Western Michigan versus Michigan game has reached a new level after a judgment by the FBS Oversight Committee. According to On3's Pete Nakos in a post on Wednesday evening, the oversight committee says that instant replay protocols weren't properly followed in the Week 1 matchup.

“The FBS Oversight Committee says in a statement that “instant replay protocols were not followed in the contest’s second-to-last play” in the Western Michigan-Michigan game, and “had the protocols been followed, the outcome of the game would have been different. FBS oversight committee says it cannot overturn the result.”

After Western Michigan put on an impressive display against Michigan, that had many believing that an upset was about to take place, Michigan ultimately prevailed 13-12 after Bryce Underwood's Hail Mary pass to JJ Buchnan. Underwood's first pass to Buchanan was unsuccessful, but the referees in the matchup determined that the ball had touched up players' hands before the game clock expired. They then deemed that. 1 second would be added the clock, and Michigan ultimately benefited with the last second touchdown.

Article Continues Below

After the matchup, the Big 10 released a statement announcing a change to its broadcast replay protocol that took effect on Saturday.

“Beginning this Saturday (September 12), all football broadcasts from Big Ten venues that include Big Ten replay and on-field officials will be able to feature live audio between the game referee and replay official during reviews, alongside video of the game footage being viewed during the process and a view inside the state-of-the-art Big Ten Replay Center. This will include all conference games during the 2026 season as well as home non-conference matchups officiated by Big Ten crews,” a statement by the Big Ten released on September 9th read.