The NCAA's FBS oversight committee stated Wednesday it "does not have the authority" to overturn Western Michigan's controversial 13-12 loss to Michigan on Sept. 5, despite acknowledging that instant replay protocols "were not followed" by the Big Ten. The committee added that had protocols been followed, "the outcome of the game would have been different." Michigan won on a Hail Mary touchdown pass after Big Ten replay officials restored one second to the clock, a decision based on the NBC broadcast clock showing zeros before Bryce Underwood's pass was touched outside the end zone. The stadium clock and broadcast feed both showed zero time remaining at the moment of contact.

In letters sent Sept. 8 to the NCAA and College Football Playoff, Mid-American Conference commissioner Jon A. Steinbrecher argued that "replay protocol was not properly followed" and requested Western Michigan be recognized as the "actual winner," noting the error directly affected the final outcome and prevented the defending MAC champion from defeating the Wolverines for the first time in program history. Days later, the NCAA issued new guidance to establish a standard timing protocol for consistency across all college football games, based on a memo from NCAA national coordinator of officials Ron Snodgrass, approved by secretary rules editor Matt Young.

The memo clarified that the official game time is the in-stadium clock, with replay officials relying on the embedded game clock from the program feed or broadcast graphic if unavailable. Michigan improved to 2-0 after defeating Oklahoma, while Western Michigan fell to 1-1 following a 49-14 win over Monmouth.