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2021-2022 College Football Bowl Season


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College Football Playoff Covid-19 protocol plans:

https://collegefootballplayoff.com/news/2021/12/22/covid-policy.aspx

 

College Football Playoff Announces COVID-19 Post-Season Policies

12/22/2021 1:00:00 PM

Actions Taken to Protect Student-Athlete Health and Safety


IRVING, Texas – The College Football Playoff (CFP) Management Committee today announced a series of new actions it will take to protect student-athlete health and safety as the omicron virus has spread in advance of the College Football Playoff.

"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," said Bill Hancock, Executive Director of the CFP. "These policies will better protect our students and staffs while providing clarity in the event worst-case scenarios result."

The changes were based on a recommendation from the Management Committee during a video conference yesterday, December 21, 2021.

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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

Following are other policies that shall be in place for this year's games:
 
  1. Teams' travel to bowl sites – Teams have the option to arrive at the bowl site not later than two days before the game, rather than the customary five days before the game. (For example, not later than Wednesday before a Friday game.)

  2. Bowl events – Attendance at events at the game sites will be optional for student-athletes, institutions' staff members, bands and spirit squads.

  3. News conferences – Media access to coaches, staff and student-athletes will be virtual.

  4. Access to the playing field – Non-essential personnel will not have access to the field and sidelines pre- and post-game. (For clarity, this includes, but is not limited to, institutions' friends and family and bowls' "special guests" and sponsors.)

  5. Testing arrangement. Each institution will use the testing arrangement that it used during the regular season. The institution will arrange for testing at the game site.

  6. Acceptance of opponent's protocol. Each conference has agreed to accept each other conference's testing protocol.

  7. Certification. The director of athletics and the institution's chief medical officer must certify that each person with access to the playing field on game day has tested negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of the kickoff or has been fully vaccinated.

  8. Health and Safety. To provide the best chance of health and safety, the participating institutions are encouraged to ensure that student-athletes and staff take prudent measures and follow medical recommendations to help prevent the contraction or transmission of COVID before, during and after they travel to the game sites.

"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."

 
#CFBPLAYOFF

About the College Football Playoff
The College Football Playoff matches the No. 1 ranked team vs. No. 4, and No. 2 vs. No. 3 in semifinal games that rotate annually among six bowl games – the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, PlayStation Fiesta Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Allstate Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl Game presented by Capital One Venture X. This season's Playoff Semifinals will take place Friday, December 31, 2021, at the Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl. The College Football Playoff National Championship will be Monday, January 10, 2022, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.
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A&M Yell Leaders now planning on putting on their comfy slippers and consoling one another by feeding each other bon bons:

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/rutgers-to-fill-texas-a-ms-spot-in-gator-bowl-after-covid-19-issues-force-aggies-to-withdraw-per-report/

Rutgers to fill Texas A&M's spot in Gator Bowl after COVID-19 issues force Aggies to withdraw, per report

The Aggies were scheduled to take on Wake Forest on Dec. 31 in the game

 
 
 
 
gator-bowl.jpg

Getty

No. 25 Texas A&M won't have enough players to compete in the Gator Bowl because of a COVID-19 outbreak within the program that has reportedly left the Aggies with only 38 healthy players. As a result, Rutgers is expected to take Texas A&M's place for Dec. 31 matchup against No. 17 Wake Forest, according to NJ.com.

"We are disappointed that Texas A&M University and the Aggie fans will be unable to represent the Southeastern Conference in Jacksonville at this year's TaxSlayer Gator Bowl game," said TaxSlayer Gator Bowl Chairman John Duce in a statement. "However, the health and safety of the student-athletes, coaches and staff remains our primary concern."

Rutgers earned the right of first refusal because it has the highest Academic Progress Rate (APR) among the football teams that finished 5-7. The NCAA's oversight committee will meet Thursday, at which time it is expected to formally approve the Scarlet Knights for bowl eligibility once administrative details such as player safety protocols are finalized.

The Scarlet Knights have not appeared in a bowl game since the 2014 Quick Lane Bowl. 

An uptick in COVID-19 cases nationally due to a combination of the Delta and Omicron variants has proved disruptive to the sports world. Dozens of college basketball games have been canceled in recent weeks amid the spread and it now appears college football's bowl season will not make it through unscathed by the ongoing pandemic. 

Texas A&M's sudden withdrawal left the Gator Bowl scrambling to find an opponent with less than 10 days before kickoff. All options were on the table at one point, including pursuing teams that had already played in a bowl game, according to Yahoo Sports' Pete Thamel

A Gator Bowl victory would have sent the Aggies into the offseason with some momentum after they struggled in the season's final month with losses to Ole Miss and LSU sandwiched around a win against Prairie View A&M. The Aggies' last win vs. an FBS opponent came on Nov. 6 against Auburn. Rutgers finished the season with two straight losses, including a 40-16 loss to Maryland in the season finale.

Wake Forest will attempt to tie its all-time record of 11 wins that it set in 2006 with a victory.

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https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/32923956/alabama-oc-bill-obrien-ol-coach-doug-marrone-test-positive-covid-19

 

Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien, OL coach Doug Marrone test positive for COVID-19

1:03 PM ET
  • scarborough_alex.png&h=80&w=80&scale=cro
    Alex ScarboroughESPN Staff Writer

Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien and offensive line coach Doug Marrone have tested positive for COVID-19, the school announced Wednesday.

Both are expected to return in time for the start of the College Football Playoff on Dec. 31, when No. 1 Alabama will play No. 4 Cincinnati in the CFP Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl.

 
 
A statement from coach Nick Saban and head athletic trainer Jeff Allen said of O'Brien and Marrone, "They have very mild symptoms and are home isolating while following all appropriate guidelines."
 
On Monday, Saban told reporters that the team had reinstituted COVID protocols from a year ago, asking team members to wear masks in the facility and social distance during meetings.

Saban said that more than 90% of players have been vaccinated and received a booster shot.

"Am I concerned?" Saban said of the recent rise in cases and the postponement of NFL games. "I'm always concerned when there's an issue out there, and we want to do the best we can to help our players be concerned about the issue and respect it so they have the best opportunity to stay safe."

O'Brien and Marrone, both former NFL head coaches, are in their first seasons on the Crimson Tide staff.

O'Brien has overseen an offense that ranks first in the SEC in points per game (42.23).

He also helped first-time starting quarterback Bryce Young win the Heisman Trophy.

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