NBC’s John Fanta provided more information for a curious college football world that watched Michigan pull off an all-time miracle in Saturday night’s thrilling victory over Western Michigan.
The 16th-ranked Wolverines were trailing 12-7 when all looked lost. But Michigan got another crack at a Hail Mary, and its prayers were answered as the home crowd celebrated and even stormed the field when the madness was all over.
But should Michigan have gotten that second chance? Did Western Michigan get ripped off in its pursuit of an all-time upset over its in-state rival?
Fanta provided more background for those on either side of the fence of Michigan’s memorable 13-12 Week 1 victory at The Big House in Ann Arbor.
This is what Fanta said about the controversy that played out in the NBC primetime telecast of the game:
Now, the official time of the game, it’s kept by the Big Ten. Our cameras are not the official arbiter of time keeping within the game. That is the Big Ten and the officials’ responsibility. After the game (Saturday night), the Big Ten released a statement and raw video from its replay process that showed how and why the decision was made. Here’s a look back at that video and with the ball hitting the defensive back from Western Michigan, that gave Michigan another second and one last play where JJ Buchanan came up big.
Michigan’s great escape on Saturday night will obviously save its College Football Playoff hopes that would’ve been severely damaged if not for that Hail Mary. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about the top teams in the mix for those 12 coveted Playoff spots:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
