Could COVID-19 cancellations, postponements delay College Football Playoff?

Four Southeastern Conference football games scheduled for Saturday have been postponed due to COVID-19 cases hindering programs as coronavirus infections spike throughout the country. 

With teams running out of time to play makeups ahead of conference title games and the College Football Playoff that kicks off on Jan. 1, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has admitted that the two-round postseason tournament might have to be pushed back.

"We're all going to have to be flexible," Sankey explained when speaking with reporters on Wednesday, per Alex Scarborough of ESPN. "So I'm not going to hypothesize about change, but I'm not inattentive to the potential that change may need to occur." Sankey added that expanding the field to eight teams would make it "more difficult to complete a playoff" and seems unlikely as of the middle of November. 

Meanwhile, CFP executive director Bill Hancock told ESPN that nothing has yet changed for the selection committee heading into the weekend.

"For the selection committee, it's status quo," Hancock said. "This is not a surprise. Most of us expected games to be postponed or canceled. Everyone is moving forward as best they can."

Outside of the SEC, the Ohio State Buckeyes, No. 3 in the country, had their Saturday game against the Maryland Terrapins scrapped due to COVID-19 infections and subsequent quarantines within the Maryland program.