Dan Orlovsky: Everything about Michigan-WMU controversy ‘feels like it’s lying to me’

You might say that the Michigan Wolverines won controversially on Saturday night. The Wolverines looked to have fallen to the Western Michigan Broncos  12-7 in a historic upset after Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood’s Hail Mary attempt soared out of bounds for the “final play” of regulation.

However, after video review, game officials determined that there was actually one second remaining when the ball touched a Western Michigan defender out of bounds, thus stopping the clock and granting the Wolverines another Hail Mary attempt. In his second go-around, Underwood connected with star wide receiver JJ Buchanan for a touchdown, winning the game 13-12 for Michigan.

The Wolverines’ victory prompted widespread outrage over the discrepancy between the official game clock and the one used for NBC’s broadcast, resulting in the Big Ten releasing a statement; NBC pinning responsibility for keeping the game clock on the Big Ten; and even Western Michigan head coach Lance Taylor and president Russ Kavalhuna addressing the situation on CNN, where he confirmed tha the Big Ten showed him the video it to determine there was “a second left on the clock.”

On Monday, ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky made it clear the explanations provided by the powers-that-be weren’t adding up for him.

“In 2026, we don’t have clocks synced up the same way? Are you serious?” Orlovsky asked on Monday’s episode of Get Up. “When, when the— everything about college sports is about the money that is generated because the people watching, and we are watching, unless I’m the dumbest person in the country, my eyes are are watching the ball go down, the clock hits zero, and then the Western Michigan player touches the football. If we as viewers don’t have the appropriate clock, then why are we watching?”

Great job by @danorlovsky7 on the final play when clock read zero and somehow Michigan gets an extra try! #GetUpESPN pic.twitter.com/Mn9AHzqygQ

— Connie Carberg (@ConnieScouts) September 7, 2026

Orlovsky continued, “I don’t care about Michigan. I don’t care about Western Michigan. I have— I’m from Connecticut. I went to UConn. I could not care less. Everything about that feels like it’s lying to me.”

Orlovsky isn’t the only analyst employed by the Worldwide Leader who has questions about the Big Ten’s process in putting a second back on the clock. On First Take, Stephen A. Smith and Paul Finebaum questioned whether there might have been financial pressure from the Big Ten to force Western Michigan to stay quiet. However, on Fox Sports, the Big Ten’s operating partner, diehard Michigan fan and Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy defended Saturday’s ruling.

“We beat these guys fair and square,” Portnoy said on Wake Up Barstool. “Western Michigan and the MAC conference say we beat them fair and square. The only people saying something nefarious happened are jealous losers who either didn’t get into Michigan, have Michigan envy, grew up in the South and wished they grew up in a more populated area … that’s it. There’s nothing to see here. We didn’t play well, but we won fair and square in a game that everyone will remember where they [were].”