The College Football Playoff has announced new protocols for potentially postponing or canceling games this year amid the recent spike in cases of the omicron variant of COVID-19.
Just Wednesday, Texas A&M pulled out of the Dec. 31 Gator Bowl vs. Wake Forest due to a virus outbreak on its roster. If bowl officials cannot find a replacement for the Aggies, the game will likely be canceled.
Also Wednesday, Alabama announced that assistant coaches Bill O’Brien and Doug Marrone had tested positive for the virus. Both are expected to be able to participate in the Dec. 31 Cotton Bowl playoff semifinal vs. Cincinnati.
“As we prepare for the Playoff, it’s wise and necessary to put into place additional precautions to protect those who will play and coach the games,” CFP executive director Bill Hancock said. “These policies will better protect our students and staffs while providing clarity in the event worst-case scenarios result.”
Most notable is that the Dec. 31 playoff semifinal games — the Cotton Bowl between Alabama and Cincinnati and the Orange Bowl between Georgia and Michigan — won’t be re-scheduled if one or more participating teams finds itself unable to play. If one team cannot play, the game will be a forfeit and the “healthy” team will advance to the national championship game, set for Jan. 10 in Indianapolis.
If both teams in a given semifinal cannot play, the game will be declared a “no contest” and the other semifinal will serve as a de facto national championship game. If three teams cannot participate, the remaining “healthy” team would be declared national champion.
If one of the teams advancing to the national championship game is unable to play, the game could be postponed to no later than Jan. 14. If one team is still unable to play by that date, the game will be declared a “forfeit” and the remaining “healthy” team will be national champion.
If both teams in the national championship game are unable to play, the game will be declared “no contest” and there will be no national champion for the 2021 season.
“We certainly wish we were not in this position,” said Hancock, “but the only responsible thing is to take whatever actions we can reasonably take to better protect those who play and coach the game.”
For the Fiesta Bowl (Notre Dame-Oklahoma State) and Peach Bowl (Pittsburgh-Michigan State), which are also under the College Football Playoff umbrella, all attempts will be made to re-schedule the game within one week of the scheduled date. If no date can be identified, the game will be declared “no contest.”
In addition, the CFP also announced that teams may travel to bowl sites as late as two days before game day (five days out is the standard). Attendance at bowl events has been made optional for players, coaches and staff members.
