Various differences exist between the NFL rulebook and college football regulations. One specific variation would have altered the controversial outcome of Saturday night’s matchup between Western Michigan and Michigan.
The game-winning Hail Mary touchdown reception by J.J. Buchanan would have been impossible under NFL rules, as the NFL rulebook accounts for the razor-thin margin between the clock reading one second and displaying triple zeroes.
Per 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 scenario occurs in the NFL, replay cannot change the on-field ruling unless the clock shows at least two or more seconds remaining.
While this does not change the fact that the NFL should embrace real-time transparency regarding the replay process, this is one very specific situation that would have simplified the final outcome. Given that fewer than two seconds remained, the offense would not have received another attempt, as the rules would not have allowed the ruling on the field to be changed.
Moving forward, adopting this rule would be the best way for college football to avoid a repeat of what happened last night, even if such a scenario may not occur again for a very long time.