It certainly did not take long for the college football season to produce one of the most controversial finishes we’ve seen in recent memory, as a disputed clock ruling helped the Michigan Wolverines overcome an upset against the Western Michigan Broncos. But even as the MAC openly appeals the result of the game, Michigan legend Charles Woodson is refusing to apologize.
During an appearance on Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff on Saturday morning, Dave Portnoy asked Woodson how Michigan fans should be feeling heading into their showdown with No. 11 Oklahoma. Woodson took the opportunity to address the controversial nature of last week’s win.
“Well, I got a text from a friend earlier this week, and he said, ‘Never apologize for a W,'” Woodson told Portnoy. “So we’re not going to apologize for winning.”
How does @CharlesWoodson feel about @UMichFootball‘s win last week?
He gives his thoughts here pic.twitter.com/wuCpMyGhO3
— Big Noon Kickoff (@BNKonFOX) September 12, 2026
That said, Charles Woodson understands the optics of the outcome of the game, which has since sparked NCAA changes to the replay process, and does wish that there was more clarity.
“Yes, we understand how it went down. I’m not a fan of adding a second, somehow, on the clock,” Woodson said. “If there are two separate clocks, then we need to have a video inside that truck showing us what that clock looks like. You can’t have the whole world looking at a clock that says ‘zero,’ and then add another second onto the clock.”
Even if Michigan technically won the game, the Wolverines didn’t look particularly good in the debut of new head coach Kyle Whittingham, but Woodson still expressed confidence, saying fans just “gotta give things time to work out” with the new head coach.
“My mother, she can bake,” Woodson said. “You put the ingredients in that bowl, mix it up; a cake doesn’t magically appear. You gotta put it in the oven. You gotta turn that temperature up. You gotta let that thing rise. So we need a little bit of time.
“Yeah, last week was rough. We understand it. But for all the Michigan fans out there, we are optimistic. Why? Because this is Michigan, Dave. That’s what we do.”
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