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The College Football Playoff released an updated set of COVID-19 policies that would allow a team to advance to or win the national championship in the event that its opponent has to forfeit due to an outbreak, and it is also possible that the championship game could be declared a "no contest" if neither finalist can play in the title game on an original or rescheduled date. The rules provide flexibility for the national championship game in Indianapolis to be rescheduled to a date no later than Jan. 14. (ESPN) The Rutgers University football team, which finished its 2021 regular season with a 5-7 record, is expected to receive and accept an invitation to replace Texas A&M (8-4) as Wake Forest's (10-3) opponent in the Gator Bowl on Dec. 31, according to a source. Texas A&M announced that it would be unable to field a team for the postseason game "due to a combination of COVID-19 issues" and "season-ending injuries." (The Athletic) The NBA postponed two games scheduled to be played tonight, the Chicago Bulls against the Toronto Raptors in Chicago and the Brooklyn Nets against the Portland Trail Blazers in Portland, due to COVID-19 outbreaks impacting the Raptors and Nets. (Yahoo Sports) The Nets, which did not have the league-required eight available players to proceed with tonight's game, are among the 10 teams scheduled to compete on Christmas Day as part of the league's slate of nationally televised games. (CNBC)

COLLEGE SPORTS

How College Athletics Is Bracing for Its Latest Battle With Omicron, COVID-19 Ross Dellenger, Sports Illustrated The situation is serious enough that conference executives are exploring whether to reinstate coronavirus-related policies from last season. The NCAA's own COVID-19 medical advisory group recently restarted its weekly Zoom calls, too, and is examining the possibility of resorting to 2020-21 COVID-19 guidelines. Gundy's new deal features increased salary, would double buyout from OSU Eli Lederman, Tulsa World The contract extension Mike Gundy agreed to earlier this fall gave Oklahoma State's 17th-year coach a fresh five-year rollover contract. It also handed Gundy a pay bump and doubled his buyout from the university in the event of termination without cause. Baylor, city will move forward on new downtown Waco arena Arena Digest Baylor University and the city will move forward on a new downtown Waco arena, with the Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion located on a high-visibility site in the city's growing Riverfront district. The new $185-million home for Baylor's men's and women's basketball teams will be located along the Brazos River on the west side of Interstate-35 adjacent to the University's Clifton Robinson Tower, which will remain. The ACC has modified its COVID-19 rescheduling policy for men's and women's basketball Craig Meyer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ACC has modified its COVID-19 rescheduling policy for men's and women's basketball, a measure that will reschedule rather than cancel games if they cannot be played due to a high number of cases, the conference announced Wednesday. Additionally, if a game cannot be played or rescheduled, it will be considered a no contest, not a forfeit, as had previously been the case. Tech tennis program, The Falls announce 20-year partnership, new project Lubbock Avalanche-Journal The Texas Tech athletics department on Wednesday announced a 20-year partnership with The Falls Tennis and Athletic Club to construct a new indoor facility featuring six courts to be used by the Tech men's and women's teams. As part of the agreement, Tech said, The Falls will upgrade its existing four outdoor tennis courts to NCAA standards and construct two additional courts as part of a new 45,000-square feet indoor facility. Shareef O'Neal Highlights Linktree's First-ever NIL Class Randall Williams, Boardroom Linktree, a market-leading linking platform, announced its inaugural class of collegiate athlete partners Wednesday. The organization is continuing to build out its sports offerings and resources to aid college athletes in fully utilizing their name, image, and likeness rights.

---Morning Consult

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