NCAA responds to MAC’s planned appeal of Western Michigan vs. Michigan result
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
The NCAA on Tuesday has responded to the MAC’s announcement that it plans to appeal the result of the Western Michigan-Michigan game to the regulatory body.
According to On3’s Pete Nakos, the NCAA has cited its rulebook in declaring that it is unable to overturn the result. The rule reads as follows:
Rule 1-1-3-b: Winning Team and Final Score
ARTICLE 3. a. The teams shall be awarded points for scoring according to rule and, unless the game is forfeited, the team having the larger score at the end of the game shall be the winning team. b. When the referee declares that the game is ended, the score is final.
Rule 5-2-9: Rule Decisions Final
ARTICLE 9. No rule decision may be changed after the ball is next legally snapped, legally free-kicked or the second or fourth periods have ended.
The MAC originally stated that it agreed with the Big Ten’s explanation after the game that its replay center clock and the game clock shown on NBC were out of sync, signaling that there would be no appeal forthcoming. Western Michigan’s president noted in a Sunday press conference that he did not think the B1G dealt unfairly with the situation.
However, the MAC reversed course. On Tuesday, it announced that it would appeal to the NCAA and the FBS Oversight Committee. Nakos notes that the latter cannot overturn a game result, either.
Based on that, it looks as if the final score between the Wolverines and Broncos will remain the same.
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.
