CFP announces Covid-19 protocols for playoffs; the protocols were not required

 

CFP announces Covid-19 protocols for playoffs; the protocols were not required

 

Ahead of the playoffs the College Football Playoff management committee announced its plans to manage any expected postseason disruptions caused by the latest Covid-19 surge - but fortunately all Bowl games took place.

With cases of the Omicron variant skyrocketing the advanced policy would affect several bowl games including the playoff semi-finals and the national championship game should any program have ended up struck down by the virus.

Executive Director of the CFP, Bill Hancock, said at the time of the announcement: “As we prepare for the playoffs it’s wise and necessary to put into place additional precautions to protect those who will play and coach the games.

“These policies will better protect our students and staff while providing clarity in the event of worst-case scenarios.”

CFP

source: www.independent.co.uk


As cases across the country surged the CFP announced the new protocols ahead of the bowls fixtures - Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl and Peach Bowl.

In the event that positive cases arose within teams playing these fixtures meaning one team would be unable to play then that team would forfeit and their opponents would receive a bye to the championship game.

Furthermore, if both teams in the Cotton Bowl were unable to play, the winner of the Orange Bowl would be declared the national champion. Meanwhile, if three semi-final teams were unable to play, the one remaining team would be declared the national champion.

Confirming the above protocols in their statement the CFP outlined below:


The following are the policies for the Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl and Peach Bowl if an institution determines that it is unable to compete in the game because an insufficient number of athletes are available to play because of COVID-19.

  1. Fiesta and Peach Bowls – The CFP, bowl game and ESPN shall attempt to identify an alternate date for the game within one week of the scheduled date; if no date can be identified, the game would be considered no contest.

  1. Playoff Semifinals (Cotton and Orange Bowls) if one team is unavailable to play – The unavailable team shall forfeit the game and its opponent would advance to the national championship game.
     
  1. Playoff Semifinals (Cotton and Orange Bowls) if both teams are unavailable to play in one semifinal – The semifinal game would be declared “no contest” and the team winning the other semifinal game would be declared the CFP National Champion.

  1. Playoff Semifinals (Cotton and Orange Bowls) if three teams are unavailable to play – The semifinal game in which two teams are unable to play would be declared “no contest.” In the other semifinal game, the team unable to play shall forfeit the game and its opponent would be declared CFP National Champion.

  1. CFP National Championship – If the team’s unavailability is determined after the Playoff Semifinals have been conducted, the national championship game in Indianapolis may be rescheduled to no later than Friday, January 14. If one team is able to play and the other is not and the game cannot be rescheduled or is rescheduled and cannot be played, then the team unable to play shall forfeit the game and the other team shall be declared CFP National Champion. If both teams are unable to play on either an original or rescheduled date, then the game shall be declared “no contest” and the CFP National Championship shall be vacated for this season.

 
As it transpired all Bowl games including the CFP semifinals went ahead as planned and the outcomes were decided on the field of play. In the Peach Bowl on Dec. 30 Michigan State defeated Pittsburgh by 31 points to 21, then on New Year’s Day a thrilling Fiesta Bowl encounter went right to the wire - Oklahoma State clinched a narrow 37-35 success over Notre Dame.

As far as the CFP semifinal clashes went they proved to be comfortable margins of victory for Alabama in the Cotton Bowl (27-6 over Cincinnati) and for Georgia in the Orange Bowl (34-11 over Michigan). 

Those two programs are set to meet in the championship game planned for Jan. 10 in Indianapolis, but there is a chance that this could be rescheduled to no later than Jan. 14 if one finalist is unable to play.

If one team cannot commit to either date then they will forfeit the championship, but if both teams are unavailable on the original or rescheduled date, the game will be declared “no contest” and the national championship will be vacated - something Hancock was at pains to want to avoid.

“We certainly wish we were not in this position,” he added, “but the only responsible thing is to take whatever actions we can reasonably take to better protect those who play and coach the game.”

The virus already has affected CFP teams’ personnel, with Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien and offensive line coach Doug Marrone testing positive in early December.

If the championship game goes ahead as planned then the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs will see a familiar foe standing in their way in the shape of top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. The Bulldogs (13-1) haven't won a national championship since 1980, with Alabama (13-1) pulling out a 26-23 victory in overtime to deny them in the 2017 final.

 

 

CFP

source: www.slate.com

The Tide also kept the Bulldogs from winning the SEC title this season, winning 41-24 in the championship game on Dec. 4. Alabama is the defending national champion and the Crimson Tide is 42-25-4 in the all-time series, winning seven straight. All this, you would think, should put them ahead in the pre-game betting odds.

College sports betting is as popular across the country as the NFL and there are plenty of different options. These range from regular game lines, to which team will win the National Championship, and you can bet in any of the multitude of states that allow it.

In the final this year you may be able to support your favorite college team at caesar ny sportsbook app - where it is a surprise to see Bulldogs currently ahead in the betting stakes. Despite the stats above and the head-to-head in favor of top-ranked Alabama, it is the Bulldogs who are currently three-point favorites in the latest odds from Caesars Sportsbook, and the over-under for total points scored is 52.

One of the states that allows online betting on college football is New York after legislators approved online sports betting in April 2021. In-person betting began in 2019 and now online NY sports betting should be available before this years’ Super Bowl after the state selected nine operators to launch sportsbook apps from mid-January.

With both teams in excellent form it will be a close match to call. Providing all is good to go on Jan. 10 the CFP championship game gets underway at 8pm in Indianapolis.

 

by Nathan Auty