One of the most intriguing and inspirational aspects of college football are the upsets: To see a storied program lose to a school most people can’t point out on a map is truly spectacular. 

A prime example is when No. 5-ranked Michigan lost to Appalachian State University, 34-32, in 2007. Or, better yet, when Michigan was upset by Toledo University, 13-10, in Ann Arbor a year later. These unforgettable results caused heartbreak for some and pandemonium for others. 

Unfortunately, last weekend, college football was robbed of what could have been — and should have been — another one of the most memorable upsets of all time. 

On Saturday, you guessed it, Michigan (1-0) hosted Western Michigan University (0-1) in what the then-ranked No. 16 Wolverines hoped would be a perfect season-opening game for their 2026 campaign. The Broncos, hailing from the Mid-American Conference, came into the match with an 0-7 all-time record, having never defeated Michigan.

Despite what history said, Western Michigan held a 12-7 lead late into the fourth quarter after landing a field goal with just 35 seconds left in the contest.

Needing a touchdown, the Wolverines resorted to a Hail Mary; sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood — as he had seemingly done all game — closed his eyes and threw up a prayer. This prayer was not answered. The clock struck zero, and the Broncos had pulled off an upset in one of the biggest wins in program history.

Or so everyone thought.

That was, until the referees declared that the play was under review, wanting to ensure the clock had run out and officially ended the game. For everyone watching, it was clear that there was no time left on the clock — at least the one shown to the viewers — as the out-of-bounds Western Michigan defender swatted down the ball.

Yet, in a decision that puzzled the entire football world, one second was put back on the clock.

Michigan, now having time for one more play, attempted another heave to the end zone, which was miraculously caught by sophomore wide receiver JJ Buchanan for a 47-yard, game-winning touchdown.

Following the miracle — in what some are calling the “Bail Mary” — the Wolverine faithful rushed the field in celebration. Yes, you read that right: There was a field storming for the 27.5-point favorites at home, the same top-25 team that had just squeaked by the unranked Group of Six Western Michigan on a call that shouldn’t have even happened.

The justification from officials for adding another second was that the clock embedded in the replay feed still showed one second remaining, as that clock was seemingly out of sync with the one shown on the broadcast.

The result, understandably, caused outrage throughout the college football world. On Tuesday, an NCAA memo outlined the refurbished protocol for reviewing timing in situations like these going forward. The memo stated that replays will now be based on the clock embedded in the program feed rather than the clock in the internal replay feed.

Had this been the case on Saturday, Western Michigan would have won the game.

Following this, the MAC released a statement of their own on Tuesday, appealing the result of the game and stating that the NCAA did not follow its own replay protocol. The conference submitted appeals to both the NCAA FBS Oversight Committee and the College Football Playoff to recognize Western Michigan as the winner of the contest.

While the NCAA answered by stating they can’t overturn the results of the game, the CFP is currently reviewing the MAC’s appeal.

Although its own conference is fighting for them, Western Michigan as a program has stayed relatively quiet. Though the Broncos’ president does believe that his squad won last week’s game, he wants to focus more on the future than linger on the loss — what humble heroes!

On the flip side, one Michigan fan was visibly upset by the MAC’s appeal of the game. Barstool Sports creator-turned-pizza-reviewer and, somehow, member of FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff, Dave Portnoy called the conference’s appeal “embarrassing.”

I, for one, would be far more embarrassed to be a Michigan fan right now than a fan of almost any other program in the country — except maybe Clemson, oof.

Since the Wolverines are, as of now, the recognized winners of the game, they should enjoy the celebration while they can, as it’s unlikely they’ll have many opportunities to do so as the season goes on. Some notable opponents on Michigan’s schedule include No. 1 Ohio State, No. 5 Indiana, No. 6 Oregon, No. 16 Penn State, No. 21 Iowa and a nonconference bout against No. 11 Oklahoma this weekend.

Not only that, but the Wolverines’ offense looked truly abysmal in Week 1, as Underwood had just a 36.7 quarterback rating. The $12 million quarterback looked good for about one second — yes, that second — the entire game, while looking rough throughout the other 60 minutes. His performance even put his starting role in question for his own head coach, which Underwood found out about via an interview. The game caused the squad to drop out of the Associated Press Top 25 entirely.

Truly, nobody’s seen a player like Underwood.

So, to Portnoy and all the Maize and Blue fans out there, soak up the victory before the season really begins. And congratulations, Michigan. You’ll get your karma soon enough.

Caleb Olguin is a sophomore writing about the ever-changing college football landscape in his column, “The Redshirt Report.” He is also a sports editor at the Daily Trojan.