It’s a word that could either describe the last month of the college football offseason or the last 10 months of the Michigan Wolverines’ football program.
uncertain
that → ’ → program
Saturday night’s game underscored the point as the Wolverines, somehow, walked out of the Big House with a victory, while their opponents, the Western Michigan Broncos, were left asking: What the heck just happened?
asserted
heck → underscore → victory
It was supposed to be clean air and blue skies for Michigan coming into the first week of the 2026 season.
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It → suppose → season
Kyle Whittingham was set to erase any talk of what the Wolverines’ offseason was all about – dealing with the fallout of the Sherrone Moore scandal.
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offseason → set → scandal
Saturday night represented the perfect opportunity to do that.
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night → represent → that
Western Michigan thought they were going to leave Ann Arbor with a massive upset victory.
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they → think → victory
Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood tried a last-second heave to reach the end zone and win the game on a Hail Mary throw.
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Underwood → try → throw
His pass sailed through the back of the end zone.
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pass → sail → zone
The Broncos started to celebrate.
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Broncos → start → ?
Officials on the field called for a review.
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Officials → call → review
It already seemed as though the game was over.
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game → seem → ?
Those watching the game at home saw the clock hit triple zeroes.
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clock → watch → zeroes
The ball seemingly hit the hand of a Western Michigan defender when the TV scorebug saw the zeroes on the clock.
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scorebug → hit → clock
But after conferring, officials determined there was one second left on the clock.
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officials → confer → clock
"I definitely thought the game was over because there were zeroes on the clock," Underwood said.
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Underwood → think → clock
Instead, Underwood got one more chance to fire up a Hail Mary pass.
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Underwood → get → pass
J.J. Buchanan came down with the ball and scored the game-winning 47-yard touchdown.
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Buchanan → come → touchdown
Michigan won the game, 13-12.
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Michigan → win → game
"One for the history books right here," Whittingham said.
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Whittingham → say → books
So, what happened?
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what → happen → ?
The Big Ten Conference released a statement, backing up the officials’ decision.
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Conference → release → decision
"Following video review, it was determined Western Michigan’s #18 started his jump from an established out-of-bounds position (left foot) and made contact with the ball with one second remaining on the clock.
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# → follow → clock
As shown in the provided video of what was viewed during the replay process, a side-by-side view of the play and the game clock, using a direct shot of the game clock in the stadium, was used to determine the final ruling.
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view → show → ruling
"Eighty-five minutes prior to the game, all broadcast cameras used for the replay system, including the camera on the game clock, are synced using a strobe system to ensure all cameras are aligned.
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cameras → use → system
"Per NCAA Football rule 4-2-3-a, ‘A ball not in player control, other than a kick that scores a field goal, is out of bounds when it touches the ground, a player, a game official or anything else that is out-of-bound, or that is on or outside a boundary line.’
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that → score → line
and thus the clock is stopped."
The Mid-American Conference Commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher also released a statement on the issue.
"Upon the conclusion of the Western Michigan-Michigan football game, the Mid-American Conference and Western Michigan contacted the Big Ten office to seek clarification regarding the replay review and the placement of time back on the game clock," he said.
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he → stop → clock
"The Big Ten explained that the ball touched a player who was out of bounds before the clock reached 00:00, resulting in one additional play being awarded.
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play → explain → 00:00
The Big Ten subsequently provided video and audio of the play, which confirmed the explanation provided to us.
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which → provide → us
I commend Western Michigan for an outstanding effort and a well-played game and I offer my congratulations to Michigan.
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I → commend → Michigan
"I also appreciate the collaborative efforts of the Big Ten office and its prompt response in reviewing the play and providing the requested clarification.
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I → appreciate → clarification
"Talking to a producer and he tells us our in-set clock is in sync – is the actual stadium clock," McAulay said.
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McAulay → talk → sync
"The ball isn't even close to touching a player when it goes to zero.
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it → touch → zero
Their Hawk-Eye system either had a different sync or whatever, and they came up with one second when it touched the players.
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it → have → players
"I don't see how that happened, assuming our clock is correct.
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clock → see → ?
The ball is clearly still in the air when the clock goes to zero on our screens."
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clock → go → screens
Western Michigan’s hopes were shattered and players looked a bit shell-shocked on the sideline.
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players → shatter → sideline
College football fans watching at home were confused.
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fans → watch → home
"Sick to my stomach is the way I explain my feelings about that game," Western Michigan defensive end Dom Nichols said.
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Nichols → explain → game
Michigan avoided its biggest upset since losing to Appalachian State at the beginning of the 2007 season.
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Michigan → avoid → season
Western Michigan has never beaten an opponent in the top 20 of the Associated Press poll.
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Michigan → beat → poll
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
