Did Michigan cheat to win? Buckeye fans have thoughts

Ohio State’s run-of-the-mill shellacking of Ball State didn’t give Buckeye fans too much to be upset about.

Michigan’s thrilling, excruciating, controversial win over Western Michigan, on the other hand, gave them plenty. The Wolverines won with a spectacular Hail Mary heave on the final play, but only after officials determined there was one second left after the previous heave failed.

Western Michigan got robbed and the Big Ten should be ashamed

The clock did strike zero on that play, but the Big Ten released a statement that video review determined there was one second left when a player who started out of bounds jumped and touched the ball.

Here’s the full sequence if you missed it:

The mind-blowing, controversial Western Michigan-Michigan finish.

Noah Eagle, Todd Blackledge, and rules analyst Terry McAulay have the commentary on the stunning scene for NBC. 🏈🦓🎙️ pic.twitter.com/n9YE3OpXde

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 6, 2026

Let’s just say many didn’t have a charitable view of the league’s interpretation.

Putting one second back on the clock so Michigan can win pic.twitter.com/23dwgCwZHq

— McNeil (@REFLOG18) September 6, 2026

The Rig House pic.twitter.com/u5yNcEJw3m

— Wes Blankenship (@Wes_nship) September 6, 2026

New logo for Michigan Football pic.twitter.com/aD8IYA9Sh2

— Arrogant Ohio State Fan (@AvGuyZachsTakes) September 6, 2026

Life if college football games were 60 minutes instead of 60 minutes and 1 second pic.twitter.com/NDkbS9MY6B

— Woody (@woodyVSworld) September 6, 2026

Of course, Barstool Sports Dave Portnoy, a Wolverine fanatic, offered some peak trolling to those upset with the ending.

It’s objectively hilarious that people thought Michigan, the crown jewel of college football, would blatantly cheat to win a football game. Integrity and character will always come before winning at Michigan. That what makes Michigan Michigan https://t.co/yobDeRtmkq

— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) September 6, 2026

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Did Michigan cheat to win? Buckeye fans have thoughts