Western Michigan president claims victory over Michigan after controversial call

Key Points:

• Western Michigan University president Russ Kavalhuna publicly stated that Western Michigan won their controversial 13-12 football game against Michigan, following the NCAA's rule change on replay timing protocols.
• The NCAA clarified that replay officials must use the embedded game clock from the program feed, a standard under which Western Michigan would have won, but also stated there is no protocol for overturning game outcomes.
• The Mid-American Conference (MAC) filed formal appeals requesting the Broncos be recognized as the winner, but the NCAA deferred the decision to the College Football Playoff (CFP) management committee, which has yet to address the issue.
• Despite public calls for acceptance and moving forward, Kavalhuna supports the MAC’s appeal and believes Western Michigan was the better team, while acknowledging the difficult philosophical and procedural questions around retroactively changing game results.
• Western Michigan lost potential opportunities, including a possible CFP bid and NIL interest, due to the controversial ending, but the university is focusing on future growth while continuing private discussions with conference officials.