To play through a pandemic, players had to sacrifice much of their lives away from the game, along with some of the best aspects of being part of a team.<\/b>
\nThe Saturday night after winning an afternoon home game is one of the best times to be a college football player. Family and loved ones usually await with congratulatory hugs. Then there is a nice dinner and maybe more celebrating with teammates and friends. Few things get a college town hopping like a football victory. But not this season. \u201cI\u2019d pretty much go home, lay on my couch, watch (video) cut-ups of the game like two or three times. Probably go pick up some food,\u201d Notre Dame offensive tackle Liam Eichenberg said. To play through a pandemic, players had to sacrifice much of their lives away from the game, along with some of the best aspects of being part of a team. To reach the playoff, No.1 Alabama, No.2 Clemson, No.3 Ohio State and No.4 Notre Dame had to go a combined 37-2 on the field and keep the coronavirus at bay. \u201cIt\u2019s been incredibly challenging,\u201d Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. \u201cI just tell them, don\u2019t give up what they want most for what they may want at the moment. It\u2019s just really that simple. And the teams that do this the best and manage this the best, that\u2019s who\u2019s going to finish the best.\u201d Doing so required plenty of COVID-19 testing, and the anxiety that comes with knowing the next test could be the one that puts a season on hold, and little time spent with anyone outside the team. Even when the players were together, there were obstacles \u2013 both literal and figurative \u2013 to bonding with teammates. \u201cEating together as a team, we do it with a glass divider between us,\u201d Notre Dame receiver Ben Skowronek said Monday during media Zoom sessions for the CFP. \u201cI miss those meals and just getting to know people in the locker room. All that stuff.\u201d Another oddity brought on by the pandemic: Four days before the New Year\u2019s Day semifinals, the playoff participants were still on their respective campuses. Top-seeded Alabama (11-0) faces No.4 Notre Dame (10-1) in the relocated Rose Bowl at the home of the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas. No.2 Clemson (10-1) and No.3 Ohio State (6-0) meet at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans in a rematch of last year\u2019s thrilling semifinal. Typically, teams arrive at the site of their semifinal about five or six days in advance. The bulk of the preparation for the game has already been done. At the host city, there are media availabilities, practices and a walkthrough or two at the stadium. There are activities away from the field, outings and meals. Plus, some unsupervised time for the players. \u201cGoing to a bowl site is always what you work for,\u201d Clemson linebacker Baylon Spector said. \u201cIt\u2019s very fun. You get to do a lot of different things.\u201d As for this week, Spector said: \u201cTonight, we got bingo night. We\u2019re enjoying it as much as we can.\u201d Three of the teams arrived at the host cities on Wednesday, with Alabama doing as it had all season and arriving the day before the game. Alabama and Clemson gave players some freedom to be with family on Christmas and other breaks this season, but with strict orders to mask up and keep their distance, even with loved ones. Notre Dame and Ohio State were more cautious, keeping their players on campus over the recent holiday weekend. There is still more COVID-19 testing to be done, and each team has learned through experience that nothing is guaranteed this season. Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott will miss the semifinal after testing positive this week. \u201cIt was really stressful, but the main thing was trying to keep a level mind and do the things that we needed to do in order to succeed,\u201d Alabama linebacker Dylan Moses said. Alabama had one game postponed because of an opponent\u2019s COVID-19 outbreak, and it played the Iron Bowl against Auburn without Coach Nick Saban after he tested positive (he had a false positive earlier in the season). Notre Dame had a virus outbreak pause its season for about two weeks in late September. Clemson star quarterback Trevor Lawrence missed two games, including the Tigers\u2019 regular-season loss to Notre Dame, after contracting COVID-19. Ohio State played only six games after the Big Ten started in late October, losing two games because of opponents\u2019 COVID-19 issues and one because of its own. \u201cWhat stood out to me the most, what I find to be the hard thing is how one day you can practice and the next day you\u2019re out a couple weeks because of COVID,\u201d said Ohio State All-American offensive lineman Wyatt Davis, who has not contracted the virus. \u201cIt\u2019s just a day-to-day thing. Holding guys to a standard that you can\u2019t go out and hang out with people. You can\u2019t go see your family.\u201d Related Articles Rose Bowl scouting report: Alabama vs. Notre Dame\t Alabama, Notre Dame ready for relocated Rose Bowl clash\t Superpowers hoard talent, leaving Notre Dame, others behind\t Sugar Bowl scouting report: Clemson vs. Ohio State\t Clemson, Ohio State have unfinished business in Sugar Bowl\t Josh Myers, Davis\u2019 friend and linemate, did contract COVID-19. Myers said 10 days in isolation was terrible, mostly because of the boredom and inactivity. He said he has had no lingering effects of the virus. Tigers linebacker Mike Jones said winning made the restrictions easier to live with and Clemson did a good job of implementing and enforcing protocols. After a while, it felt normal, but it was anything but the usual college experience. \u201cYou know it\u2019s kind of weird not being able to hang out with your friends all the time,\u201d Jones said. \u201cNot being able to see your family after the game. Not going home during your bye week because you don\u2019t want to risk it. (No) celebrating after wins and stuff like that. Being with your buddies on the bus to away games. \u201cIt\u2019s been a lot. We\u2019ve all had these trials and managed to get through them.\u201d<\/p>\n