Western Michigan president claims victory over Michigan after controversial call

Western Michigan spent four days refusing to say it. On Wednesday, the university's president finally said the quiet part out loud.

"Western Michigan University won that football game," Russ Kavalhuna told CBS Sports.

The declaration came on the heels of the NCAA's decision to change replay rules around a result that nobody in charge seems willing to change. College football has been embroiled in controversy over Michigan's 13-12 victory over Western Michigan, a game the Broncos led 12-7 until Big Ten officials added one second back to the clock. Michigan's Bryce Underwood then found J.J. Buchanan in the end zone on a 47-yard heave to give Michigan the win as time expired.

The NCAA issued a standard timing protocol on Tuesday, instructing replay officials to use "the embedded game clock contained within the program feed," a standard under which Western Michigan wins against Michigan, according to a memo obtained by ESPN.

The MAC filed formal appeals Tuesday with the NCAA's FBS Oversight Committee and the College Football Playoff, asking both to recognize the Broncos as the winner. The NCAA has since answered that its playing rules contain no protocol for overturning the outcome of a game.

On Wednesday, the Big Ten expanded its in-broadcast replay program to include live audio between the referee and the replay official in every game officiated by its crews, not just on Friday nights.

Acceptance over outrage

Meanwhile, Western Michigan has mostly focused on the future, embracing acceptance over outrage. It's a public approach that has brought heat on Kavalhuna, he told CBS Sports. But he is not backing down.

"Well, you know, I've taken some heat for this stance, but I still stand by it," he said. "Western Michigan University can't be the entity that is shaking its fist and saying we're the experts on these types of NCAA protocols. I'm saying very often to my team and to my colleagues that we reject this kind of idea that our position is that we win or somebody cheated."

Still, he believes Western Michigan won. WMU has had extensive conversations with MAC commissioner Jon Steinbreacher since Saturday's game. Kavalhuna released a statement following the MAC's unprecedented request that Western Michigan be declared the winner, but the president's statement wasn't as strong, nor did he request that the game's outcome be reversed.

Kavalhuna said he was happy to see the NCAA change its clock procedure for replays -- the disconnect that led officials to place one second back on the clock last week. Officials used the Big Ten's synchronized clock system embedded in the replay feed, which showed one second remaining when Western Michigan safety Micah Davis came out of bounds and touched the ball in the end zone. The NCA broadcast feed, however, showed no time on the clock.

"That's a good outcome of this difficult process. It looks pretty clear that we won't have to watch another team go through that," he said.

The question of whether the new rule should retroactively change the result of Saturday night's game is one that Kavalhuna, a former federal prosecutor who deals in a world of ever-changing laws, has asked himself this week.

"Let's talk about the NCAA saying that they can't change the outcome of the game. Everything's impossible until somebody does it," he said. "So I'm glad that we're actually having this discussion because, as with any human-based system, you've got to constantly evaluate what should be improved and what should be changed.

"And it's always a really difficult question when you realize you're going to change some rule. Do you just do it prospectively, or do you look over your shoulder and say the person who pushed this boulder up to the top of the mountain can't be denied the benefit of pushing this boulder up to the mountain, can they? And that's a really interesting philosophical question that, frankly, I'm glad I don't have to decide."

How will the CFP handle the result?

The NCAA has already leaned on its rulebook, citing no previous change in outcomes. That leaves the College Football Playoff committee, which will have to weigh resumes when it begins ranking teams during the final month of the regular season. CFP executive director Rich Clark told CBS Sports' Richard Johnson on Tuesday evening that the MAC's request would have to go to the playoff management committee. That has not yet happened.

Kavalhuna said Wednesday he endorsed the substance of the MAC's appeal.

"I've said it from Saturday night on, it was very clear which football team was better," he said. "And there were two good football teams out there. And on that point that Steinbrecher mentioned, yeah, we think it's the right thing to do. If you're looking at who gets in and out of the College Football Playoffs, that game can be seen as Western Michigan was the better of the two football teams."

His public calm, which included a 45-minute press conference on Sunday alongside coach Lance Taylor, preaching acceptance, growth, and forward momentum, should not be read as inaction, he said.

"I have not been quiet behind closed doors," he said. "And I think the facts show that this week."

What Western Michigan lost, beyond the game, were opportunities. A potential CFP bid. NIL interest for the heroes of Western Michigan's big win inside Michigan's Big House.

"It's clear that the way this went down was painful and difficult and maybe unfair," Kavalhuna said. I don't know. I'm not the one that's going to decide that," Kavalhuna said. "I'm not going to deny that those feelings are real, but anytime that happens, it's natural to think, well, what about if it hadn't been that way?

"I got to admit, I've been feeling some of that."

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