Various differences exist between the NFL rulebook and the college football rules. One specific variation would have prevented the controversial outcome to Saturday night’s game between Western Michigan and Michigan.
The game-winning Hail Mary touchdown reception by J.J. Buchanan never would have happened under NFL rules, because NFL rules account for the possibility of a razor-thin margin between the clock being at one second and the clock showing triple zeroes.
From Rule 15, Article 9(b) of the official 2026 NFL rulebook: “An on-field ruling that time expired during or after the last play of any half, or of an overtime period in the regular season, or of an overtime half in the postseason, is reviewable by the Replay Official only when the visual evidence demonstrates that the clock should have stopped with two or more seconds remaining.” (Emphasis added.)
The Michigan controversy comes down to whether the clock showed one second or no time remaining when a Western Michigan player touched a Hail Mary attempt that sailed out of the back of the end zone. The Big Ten split hairs in a way that gave Michigan a mulligan.
If this ever happens in the NFL, replay can’t change the ruling on the field unless the clock shows at least two or more seconds.
While that doesn’t change the fact that the NFL should embrace real-time transparency regarding the replay process, this is one very specific situation that would have made the final outcome far simpler. With no question that fewer than two seconds remained, the offense would not have gotten another attempt, because the rules would not have allowed the ruling on the field to be changed.
Moving forward, adopting that rule would be the best way for college football to avoid a repeat of what happened last night. Even if it may not happen again for a very long time.
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