College Football Playoff can't overturn Michigan-Western Michigan result but indicates selection committee will account for ending

The Michigan-Western Michigan result appears to be set in stone: Wolverines 13, Broncos 12. The story might not be over, though.

The College Football Playoff released a statement Thursday responding to the Mid-American Conference's request that WMU be recognized as the actual winner of its Week 1 game against Michigan . Like the NCAA , the CFP said it does not have the authority do so.

However, the CFP went on to conspicuously note that its selection committee looks at every team's "comprehensive body of work," with both team's performances taken into account in its rankings.

The full statement, via Chris Vannini of The Athletic :

"The CFP has reviewed the letter from the Mid-American Conference. While we appreciate the concerns that were raised, the CFP does not have the authority to change or otherwise alter the outcome of games played during the regular season. "The CFP Selection Committee evaluates all teams on a comprehensive body of work over a full season, driven by how teams perform in each game. The Committee's evaluation is informed by a broad range of inputs, not just wins and losses. These measures and data points include Opponent Team Strength, Schedule Strength and Record Strength, with rankings determined by comparing the full profile rather than any single metric. The performance of both teams in this contest will be evaluated by the individuals on the Selection Committee as played, alongside every other game on both teams' schedules."

"The CFP has reviewed the letter from the Mid-American Conference. While we appreciate the concerns that were raised, the CFP does not have the authority to change or otherwise alter the outcome of games played during the regular season.

"The CFP Selection Committee evaluates all teams on a comprehensive body of work over a full season, driven by how teams perform in each game. The Committee's evaluation is informed by a broad range of inputs, not just wins and losses. These measures and data points include Opponent Team Strength, Schedule Strength and Record Strength, with rankings determined by comparing the full profile rather than any single metric. The performance of both teams in this contest will be evaluated by the individuals on the Selection Committee as played, alongside every other game on both teams' schedules."

The MAC's appeal to the CFP was always a long shot, especially after the NCAA declined to do anything beyond conceding that Western Michigan would have won had instant replay protocols been followed.

The game on Sept. 5 theoretically should have ended on the penultimate play, when a Michigan Hail Mary bounced incomplete in the end zone. Replay on the NBC broadcast appeared to show the clock strike zero while the ball was in the air, but the Big Ten replay center decided to put one second back on the clock. Michigan won on the next play, when Bryce Underwood hit JJ Buchanan for a 47-yard touchdown.

The replay decision was shocking, but further evaluation has revealed the replay center used a camera trained on a game clock in the stadium that showed one second left when an out-of-bounds Western Michigan player touched the ball.

The NCAA has responded to the situation by announcing last week that it is enacting a standard timing protocol to ensure "consistency in the administration of all college football games," as all of the confusion was caused by different clocks being used by the broadcast and replay center.

It will be up to the CFP selection committee to decide how all of that matters for Michigan's playoff ranking.