CFP issues statement clarifying how committee can respond to Michigan-Western Michigan result
The College Football Playoff says it can’t change the outcome of any games played during the regular season but notes that its selection committee relies on various measures beyond wins and losses.
The CFP issued its statement to The Athletic on Thursday, following the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Oversight Committee’s announcement a day earlier that it also doesn’t have the authority to overturn the result of No. 19 Michigan’s controversial 13-12 victory over Western Michigan on Sept. 5.
Michigan won on a Hail Mary pass after the replay official had put one second back on the clock when Wolverines quarterback Bryce Underwood’s first try was incomplete. Western Michigan plays in the Mid-American Conference, which protested the result.
“The CFP has reviewed the letter from the Mid-American Conference. While we appreciate the concerns that were raised, the CFP does not have the authority to change or otherwise alter the outcome of games played during the regular season,” the CFP told The Athletic. “The CFP Selection Committee evaluates all teams on a comprehensive body of work over a full season, driven by how teams perform in each game. The Committee’s evaluation is informed by a broad range of inputs, not just wins and losses.
“These measures and data points include Opponent Team Strength, Schedule Strength and Record Strength, with rankings determined by comparing the full profile rather than any single metric. The performance of both teams in this contest will be evaluated by the individuals on the Selection Committee as played, alongside every other game on both teams’ schedules.”
The Big Ten stood by the review in a statement released two hours after the game, when it also published a recording of the replay as it was reviewed by the officials that showed the game clock at one second when the ball was touched by WMU’s Micah Davis.
After initially accepting the Big Ten’s explanation of what happened at the end of the game, the MAC joined Western Michigan in asking for the result to be overturned.
The NCAA oversight committee acknowledged that the proper replay protocols weren’t followed in the Michigan-WMU game.
“Had the protocols been followed, the outcome of the game would have been different,” the committee said in a statement.
Michigan was ranked 16th at the start of the season but fell out of the Top 25 a day after the Western Michigan game. The Wolverines (2-0) returned to the Top 25 after a 17-10 victory over Oklahoma that dropped the Sooners’ ranking from No. 11 to No. 24.
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