To the College Football Playoff Community,

Thank you.

The past ten months have been beyond tough. COVID-19 has forced change upon all of us, presenting hurdles and obstacles to our everyday lives.

This year's football season saw new medical protocols, rescheduled games, Zoom meetings, and above all else, tremendous effort by everyone in the football community. Football is a game of routine, and this year was anything but. I want to express my sincere gratitude for the determination and grit displayed by so many people.

To the players, your discipline and love for the game made this season happen. Your adjustments and willingness to follow new medical protocols, take regular tests and abide by social distancing guidelines was admirable. You sacrificed your time with family, friends, and social celebrations after big victories. You gave up so much off the field to ensure that you and your teammates could play on the field. You remained close as a team and jumped over the hurdles of socially distanced locker rooms, travel, meals and quarantine protocols.

To the conference commissioners, university presidents, athletics directors, and their staffs, thank you for your relentless perseverance to ensure that your athletes had a chance to play the game safely. The steady stream of meetings, adherence to safety protocols, and adjustments you made throughout the year allowed student-athletes and fans to experience the joys of a football season. Whether you sacrificed precious time with your families to keep them safe or spent countless hours with medical experts to come up with the best plan to play, your resilience and decision-making was crucial to this season.

To the athletics trainers, medical staff, student managers, equipment staff, stadium directors, and stadium crews, your commitment to keeping everyone safe and healthy kept this season alive. Thank you. All of you. You invested additional hours beyond your everyday duties to test, contract trace, and sanitize facilities. You made sure to stay in contact with all the players all season -- as you always do. You constantly acted and reacted to sometimes changing medical and physical guidelines. Your team's reliance on you was extraordinary.

And finally, to the families and fans, thank you for your flexibility and understanding. We all love this game.

We are already looking forward to next season, when we hope to see you in a stadium on a splendid autumn Saturday, cheering loudly and jumping for joy.

Sincerely,
Bill Hancock