The NCAA announced new guidelines Wednesday establishing a standard timing protocol for college football after controversy over the final second of Saturday’s University of Michigan–Western Michigan game led to criticism from fans, coaches and conference officials.
What the memo requires
According to a memo obtained by The Athletic, the NCAA now designates the in-stadium game clock as the official time for all college football games. When a replay review requires time to be restored or adjusted, the replay official must rely on the embedded game clock in the program feed. If an embedded clock is not available from the broadcaster, the replay official will use the game-clock graphic shown on the broadcast feed.
The memo emphasized consistent application: “This timing protocol should be followed consistently at all institutions and game sites,” the guidance states, according to The Athletic summary.
How the change relates to Saturday’s game
Had the new protocol been in effect Saturday, the broadcast clock visible to most viewers would have been the reference for replay officials. Based on the clock shown on NBC’s telecast, Michigan would not have received the additional play time that allowed the Wolverines to complete a Hail Mary pass and edge Western Michigan.
“The official time for all college football games is the time displayed on the in-stadium game clock. When a replay review requires time to be restored or otherwise adjusted, the replay official's decision will be based on the embedded game clock contained within the program feed,” the memo reads.
With the second added after the clock appeared to reach zero, Michigan turned a 12–7 deficit into a 13–12 lead on the final play, a swing that has prompted broader questions about fairness and uniformity across conferences.
Reasoning behind the policy
Observers say the decision aims to level the technological playing field. Austin Meek, an Athletic reporter, told Stateside host April Baer that the memo clarifies long-standing inconsistencies between programs with access to advanced replay tools and those without.
“A lot of other conferences don't have access to this technology that the Big Ten has that allows them to get extremely precise and granular on that replay. And so for uniformity, I think this memo was clarifying, 'let's use the technology that everybody has access to,'” Meek said on Stateside.
The NCAA’s direction attempts to remove discrepancies caused by differing video and replay capabilities among institutions and conferences. Using the same source — the in-stadium clock or broadcast graphics when necessary — should make timing decisions more transparent to teams, officials and viewers.
Practical implications for games and broadcasters
Under the new guidance, replay officials will follow a prioritized list of clock sources:
- Primary: In-stadium game clock (official time)
- Secondary: Embedded game clock in program feed (for replay reviews)
- Tertiary: Broadcast game-clock graphic if an embedded clock is unavailable
Broadcasters and athletic departments may need to adjust operations to ensure an embedded clock is included in feeds where possible. Conferences and smaller programs that have relied on available broadcast graphics will now have a clear standard to follow when replay reviews involve timing.
| Clock source | When used |
|---|---|
| In-stadium game clock | Official time for all games |
| Embedded program-feed clock | Primary reference for replay-restoration decisions |
| Broadcast graphic | Fallback if embedded clock is unavailable |
Responses and next steps
The guidance responds directly to the backlash following the Michigan–Western Michigan contest and to a letter from the Mid-American Conference that questioned how timing was handled. The NCAA’s clarification does not change the outcome of the game but sets a framework intended to make future timing rulings more uniform across the sport.
Athletic departments, conference offices and broadcast partners will evaluate their current replay and video feeds to ensure compliance. The NCAA did not indicate a retroactive review of the weekend’s game outcomes; instead, the memo is presented as a forward-looking operational directive.
For Michigan fans, Western Michigan supporters and college football stakeholders nationwide, the memo represents an institutional effort to reduce confusion around late-game timing and to apply a single standard regardless of each program’s technological resources.
(Aaliyah Freeman is the state correspondent for WE NEWS.)
