Big Ten responds to MAC’s appeal of Western Michigan-Michigan outcome
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
The Big Ten remains committed to the results of Michigan’s highly controversial 13-12 win over Western Michigan on Saturday. The conference issued a response to the MAC’s intent to appeal to the NCAA that the Broncos should be declared the winner.
It’s a reversal from the MAC’s initial agreement with the B1G’s position early Sunday morning: that the clock in its replay center outside of Chicago and the clock shown during the NBC broadcast were out of sync.
“The Big Ten stands by the statement released following the conclusion of the Western Michigan at Michigan game and the determination made by the replay officials. We will have no further comment on the matter,” the B1G said on Tuesday.
Western Michigan’s president, during a Sunday press conference, initially said that he “(wanted) to find a way to appeal” the result, but that “there was none.” He added that the process undertaken by the B1G was not “unfair.”
Just over 48 hours later, though, things took a different turn.
The MAC said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon that it intended to file an appeal with the NCAA, stating that “replay protocol was not properly followed” during the game. WMU followed up with a statement of its own supporting the MAC’s decision.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
