Northwestern University football players on scholarship may have scored big with Wednesday’s National Labor Relations Board ruling that they are university employees and thus can pursue forming a union.

But attorneys say there’s a lot of time left on the clock before the game is won.

In a statement, the school said it plans to appeal NLRB Regional Director Peter S. Ohr’s decision to the full five-member board in Washington, D.C.

Requests for review of regional decisions are typically answered by the NLRB or a board-designated, three-person panel within 30 days, said Frank J. Saibert, a partner at Ungaretti & Harris LLP who chairs the firm’s labor and employment practice.

“They will determine whether or not the regional director’s decision, in their view, is correct or not,” Saibert said.

In its request, the university’s attorneys will need to show how they believe Ohr erred in his 24-page decision.

“They’ll pick that decision apart based on evidence transmitted in the hearing and based on the law,” Saibert said.

And unlike on the gridiron, the players won’t stop while this play is under review. Ohr directed an immediate election by all currently enrolled Northwestern football players on athletic scholarships to vote whether or not to unionize.

Those ballots will be impounded until the request for review is decided in Washington, Saibert said.

A list of all eligible voters must be provided to the NLRB regional office by Wednesday, Ohr ruled. That list will be provided to both parties to communicate with voters, much like in a political campaign.

Agents from the NLRB will be on-site when an election occurs.

“It’s a secret ballot vote, just like an American ballot election,” Saibert said.

Away from peer pressure, a vote will either verify or disprove College Athletes Players Association’s claims that it has near-unanimous support from NU players.

“A lot of people sign union authorization cards because their friend asks them to,” Saibert said. “That’s why the NLRB holds secret elections, so that a person’s true feelings can come out.”

Should the board affirm Ohr’s decision and the players vote to unionize, the union could then file an unfair labor practice complaint with the NLRB. Northwestern could also appeal the board’s certification of the union to its choice of federal appeals courts.

Once the board affirms its certification of the union, Northwestern could appeal to its choice of a federal appeals court.

John A. Klages, a partner at Quarles & Brady LLP, said he expects that the case will eventually make its way to the U.S. Supreme Court because it is so high-profile.

He also said the case will provide a look at the members of the NLRB — three Democrats, two Republicans — including four newly sworn in since July.

“President Obama made a lot of promises to the unions out there,” Klages said. “It will be interesting to see where the board comes out on this.”

Paul H. Burmeister, an associate at Fisher & Phillips LLP, said he was very surprised with the decision. It was written in a detailed, specific way to only impact a narrow set of student-athletes, he said, and not all of college sports.

“I think it’s tailored just for the Northwestern football team,” Burmeister said.

The details Ohr identified were particular school policies, not broad NCAA regulations, he said.

“For me, when I read this, it’s going through the specifics of what happens at Northwestern,” Burmeister said.

While it may not have an immediate impact on other private university campuses, it should still warrant some attention at schools that want to prevent similar claims from their own players, he said.

“I’m not sitting at Rice University saying, ‘This is a great decision,’” Burmeister said. “I’m not thrilled about it, but I can certainly change what I’m doing.”