It's possible that a college football team could win the College Football Playoff championship by forfeit due to COVID-19.
According to ESPN, the new College Football Playoff policy says games will not be rescheduled if a team doesn't have enough players to compete.
No. 1 Alabama will take on No. 4 Cincinnati in the College Football Playoff semifinal. They will play the winner of the other semifinal between No. 3 Georgia and No. 2 Michigan.
The schools will be subject to testing ahead of the games. ESPN says each person with access to the field on game day has to show a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of kickoff or provide proof that they are fully vaccinated.
“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,” College Football Playoff 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.”
The new policies come as the U.S. faces a surge in cases from the omicron variant.
Texas A&M became the first football team to pull out of a bowl game because of COVID-19. The team said it would not have enough players to take the field for the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl due to COVID-19 and season-ending injuries.