The Mid-American Conference wants Western Michigan recognized as the winner over Michigan after a controversial game.

Given a second chance by a disputed replay decision, Bryce Underwood and No. 16 took advantage.

The third in-person meeting of conference commissioners who manage the College Football Playoff since August ended without a resolution on expansion, but not without optimism.

The NCAA football oversight committee on Thursday approved a waiver to the deadline for bowl certification so another game can be added to this season’s lineup, upping the total to 42 and ensuring all teams that finished 6-6 can play in the postseason.

In many ways, the Mid-American Conference has little in common with Power Five leagues that first come to mind when fans think of major college football. In a typical season, NFL scouts might find one or two potential first-round draft picks playing at the 12 MAC schools that dot the Midwest. So is the MAC an anomaly, done in by its small budgets or is this a dire sign of things to come in college football? The MAC also shares about $90 million per year in College Football Playoff money with four other conferences. MAC schools, with athletic budgets in the $30 million range, rely heavily on payouts from road games against power conference teams.