If you think Notre Dame might replace a team that has to drop out of the College Football Playoff semifinals because of COVID-19, forget it. Contingency plans for the playoff have been announced, and they’re pretty straightforward. While the championship game could be delayed in the event of an outbreak, the semifinals will not be moved from their scheduled New Year’s Eve date.
If any of the four teams are not available to play on that day, they will forfeit the game, and their opponent automatically will head to the title game. In the event that three teams are not available, the remaining team automatically will win the national championship. If a finalist can’t play for the title, the other team would be declared the title. If neither finalist has enough available players, the championship will go down as being vacated.
It also was announced that the Fiesta Bowl, which the Irish are scheduled to play New Year’s Day against Oklahoma State, can be made up within a week of the original date if necessary.