Teams will forfeit if they are dealing with an outbreak and the game cannot be rescheduled.
The College Football Playoff Management Committee announced new policies on Wednesday regarding the potential impact of COVID-19 on the upcoming semifinal and national championship games.
“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,” executive director Bill Hancock said in a statement. “These policies will better protect our students and staffs while providing clarity in the event worst-case scenarios result.”
If a team is unable to play in the semifinal and the game cannot be rescheduled, it will be considered a forfeit and their opponent will advance. If both teams are unable to play, it would be declared a “no contest” and the other semifinal would be considered the national championship.
If three teams are unable to play in the semifinals, one game would be declared a “no contest” while the other would feature a forfeit with the lone remaining team declared the national champion.
If both semifinal games are played and one of the teams that advances to the national title game is dealing with an outbreak, the game can be rescheduled no later than Jan. 14. If the game cannot be rescheduled by that date, though, the team in question will forfeit and their opponent will be crowned the national champion.
If both teams are dealing with an outbreak and cannot play on the original or rescheduled date, the game will be declared a “no contest” and the national championship will be vacated for the season.
"We certainly wish we were not in this position," Hancock said, “but the only responsible thing is to take whatever actions we can reasonably take to better protect those who play and coach the game."
Top-ranked Alabama it set to take on No. 4 Cincinnati in the Orange Bowl at 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 31, while No. 2 Michigan plays No. 3 Georgia in the Cotton Bowl at 7:30 p.m. The winners of those games will meet in the College Football Playoff National Championship in Indianapolis at 8 p.m. on Jan. 10.
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