After the Western Michigan Broncos appeared to have pulled off a stunning upset against the Michigan Wolverines, an extra second was added to the game clock.

The Broncos thought they had completed the 12-7 victory against the Big Ten powerhouse.

No. 16 Michigan took advantage of the extra second and won 13-12, sparking one of the greatest college football controversies in recent years.

Michigan Got One Second Back — Then the Big House Exploded

However, the Mid-American Conference (MAC) isn't going down without a fight.

The conference issued a statement, announcing they had submitted a formal appeal to the NCAA FBS Oversight Committee and the College Football Playoff to recognize Western Michigan as the "actual winner" of the game.

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"After further study and investigation, it is now evident that replay protocol was not properly followed in determining whether time remained on the game clock at the conclusion of the Western Michigan vs. Michigan football game," the statement read.

"The established replay protocol requires that the game clock displayed on the program feed be used in determining whether time remained. Instead, the Big Ten Conference replay crew relied upon the clock feed embedded within its replay system. As a result, one second was placed back on the game clock and an additional play was awarded," it continued.

"This was not a judgment regarding the proper amount of time to place on the clock. It was an error in the application of the established replay protocol governing this specific end-of-game timing situation. Had the protocol been properly followed and the program-feed clock been used, no additional play would have been awarded, and Western Michigan would have won the game, 12–7," it added.

"As a result, the Mid-American Conference has submitted formal appeals to the NCAA FBS Oversight Committee and the College Football Playoff. The MAC is requesting that those bodies recognize Western Michigan as the actual winner of the game for purposes of their respective rankings, evaluations and selection deliberations, and take such other corrective action as may be within their authority," the statement concluded.

ESPN shared further:

The NCAA rulebook can be contradictory.

A section on replays (Rule 12-6-1[c]) states that "all reviews shall be based upon video evidence provided by and coming directly from the televised production of the game or from other video means available to the replay official that is also available to the television producer."

This makes sense because if millions are seeing one thing, telling them it's another is exactly how you get into this mess. It doesn't appear NBC had access to the Big Ten's video.

Yet a section on how time is kept (Rule 3-4[a]) gives full control to game officials: "Playing time shall be kept with a game clock that may be either a stopwatch operated by the line judge, back judge, field judge or side judge, or a game clock operated by an assistant under the direction of the appropriate judge."

This also makes sense because why should a television broadcaster be the determining factor?

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The chances of the MAC being successful and the game result being reversed, however? Virtually zero. The NCAA said it has no mechanism to reverse a result. The Big Ten is so unconcerned it essentially declined to comment on the MAC's petition for a reversal.

The benefits to the MAC's self-esteem for at least trying, though? Probably incalculable.

If nothing else, the league is trying to fight as hard as those Western Michigan players did Saturday in the Big House.

The NCAA confirmed that it doesn't have a protocol for overturning the outcome of a game.

Also, the FBS Oversight Committee doesn't have the authority to overturn the outcome of a game.

Watch more below:

In the aftermath of the controversial finish, the NCAA has established a standardized protocol for timekeeping.

CBS Sports has more:

According to ESPN, NCAA national coordinator of officials Ron Snodgrass sent out a memo regarding a "standard timing protocol that ensures consistency in the administration of all college football games." The policy mandates that the clock embedded in the broadcast feed serve as the official clock for replay reviews.

"The official time for all college football games is the time displayed on the in-stadium game clock," Snodgrass said in the memo. "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. If the broadcaster is unable to provide an embedded game clock, the replay official will use the game-clock graphic displayed as part of the broadcast feed. This timing protocol should be followed consistently at all institutions and game sites."

On Saturday night, the game appeared to be over as Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood sailed a Hail Mary pass out the back of the end zone. The clock on the NBC broadcast displayed zero when a Western Michigan defender touched the ball out of bounds.

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However, upon reviewing, Big Ten officials determined that there was one second remaining. On the second Hail Mary, Underwood connected with JJ Buchanan in the front of the end zone to pull out a miraculous 13-12 win for the Wolverines.

In a statement, the Big Ten said the final ruling was determined by syncing a "side-by-side view of the play and the game clock, using a direct shot of the game clock in the stadium." The conference also released a video of the sync it used, which showed one second remaining when the play ended.

Michigan survived a major scare, but things would have been different if the new standardized protocol had been in place in Week 1.

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