New Michigan-WMU footage vindicates controversial result but doesn't change UM's outlook

In the immediate aftermath of the controversial ending of Saturday's Michigan vs. Western Michigan game, I had a thought: Now would be a great time for crowd videos from the game to help clear this all up. But they never really came. We got a video and explanation from the Big Ten that only confused the issue. We got a rules clarification from the NCAA which seemed to suggest that the refs erred in their decision to put one second back on the clock.

Now, though, we finally have a video that could add much-needed clarity to this whole saga.

The problem with this entire controversy has been that it's dependent on microsecond discrepancies between the sync of two different videos and the game clock. It all would have been solved if we had a single broadcast view of the play and the stadium game clock in the same frame. An even better solution would be if college football had a red light indicator when the clock hit zero like in basketball. But we didn't have either of those things.

While debate raged about whether Western Michigan should be awarded the win, I saw exactly one video from the crowd from behind the endzone where it all went down. It wasn't exactly a smoking gun with no clear view of the ball or the Western Michigan player's hands.

Then on Wednesday, after three full days of anger and arguing, Zach Linfield supplied the video I'd been looking for.

Field-level video of Michigan vs. Western Michigan clock fiasco vindicates result

Linfield is the Detroit Tigers public address announcer and, for the record, a Michigan grad. It looks like he was on the field behind the opposite end zone from where the play took place. While the video is from far away and far from clear, there is a better view of the Western Michigan player who touched the ball — specifically where his arms are. The broadcast view gave us a good idea of when the ball touched his hands. He didn't high-point it. The ball makes contact when his arms are below his shoulders. The above video finds that point in time. Clearly in the frame is the game clock showing 0:01.

Is this perfectly conclusive evidence? No, not really. We'd still need clear broadcast-quality video for that. Is this close enough to convince me (someone who didn't find the Big Ten's evidence compelling) that Michigan did have time on the clock for one play? Yes.

I doubt it will convince everyone. Nor does it change the protocol mishap that the MAC alleges (and NCAA essentially confirmed) happened. No matter what evidence does or doesn't appear, the result of the game won't change. However, I'm at least content in knowing that there wasn't a significant miscarriage of justice in this case. In the end, it's a game of inches and milliseconds.

Should new video change our view of Michigan's win over Western Michigan?

I'm now willing to acknowledge that Michigan did indeed beat Western Michigan, even if it was by the narrowest of margins.

At the same time, I still think it was fair to drop Michigan out of the top 25. That win was the closest thing to a loss a team can have. Rushing the field was embarrassing for a program of Michigan's caliber and pedigree. A W on their record doesn't do much to change what was a miserable performance. The Wolverines were thoroughly outplayed by a MAC team on their home field. Quarterback Bryce Underwood didn't look up to the task. They have to earn back their ranking.

That won't be easy. They play No. 11 Oklahoma in Week 2. They also play ranked Iowa, Penn State, Indiana, Oregon and Ohio State this season. Unless something drastically changes for them, they'll be lucky at this point if that win over Western Michigan helps them be bowl eligible.

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