AUBURN — There is no asterisk on the countdown clock in Allison Melangton’s office.

Melangton, an Auburn native, was named President and CEO of the 2012 Super Bowl host committee in her adopted home city of Indianapolis three years ago.

Even then, there were whispers of impending NFL labor discord and rumors that an entire season — including the nation’s most watched sporting event — could be wiped out.

Far from preoccupied with the billions of dollars that are subject to the ongoing tug o’ war between owners and players, Melangton is fixated on a smaller, shrinking number.

“Two hundred twenty-six days,” Melangton said Friday while enjoying a visit and a rare weekend off at her parents’ home. “That’s when I’ll take a vacation.”

That translates to a little more than seven months.

Optimists believe it’s enough time to hash out a new collective bargaining agreement, save the season and bring everyone’s attention back into line with Melangton’s tunnel vision, turning all eyes to Super Bowl XLVI.

“We’re going 100 percent forward. With the labor situation, we haven’t changed our plan or our pace at all,” Melangton said. “That was our direction from the NFL. We’re very confident it will work itself out. The only question is when will it be worked out? We’re hopeful that it will be soon.”

And so the committee’s work continues. Late nights and weekends are the rule. There is increased urgency every time the crooked digits on that clock change.

Melangton spends those days weighing everything from the number of portable toilets to the needs of a security phalanx befitting an event that is considered a top-level threat for terrorism.

League officials made their latest tour earlier this month.

“It’s a big, big jigsaw puzzle. We’re starting to put all the pieces out on the table and locking them into place,” Melangton said. “I feel good about our plan. The NFL validated it last week when they said, ‘You guys are right on track.’ ”

Part of Melangton’s job is networking with other Super Bowl organizers, past and future.

It’s esteemed company. The 2014 New York City host committee CEO, Alfred Kelly, is the former president of American Express.

Her trip to Dallas for the 2011 game was perhaps the greatest learning experience.

“We took a group of about 50 people down to Texas. Unfortunately for Texas they had an ice storm and a snowstorm the same week,” Melangton said. “It was great for us, as far as our preparation was concerned, to see that we needed to make sure our operational plan is integrated for things like snow removal.”

The game is scheduled to be played indoors at Lucas Oil Stadium. But Indianapolis — like Detroit and New York — is considered a “cold weather” Super Bowl.

More accurately, Indy’s mid-winter climate is a mixed bag, forcing organizers to account for almost anything.

“On that day in 2009 here it was below zero and snowing. In 2010 it was 65 and sunny. Our plan is built for any weather,” Melangton said. “We don’t (usually) get tornadoes in Indiana in February, but there has been one in history, so our plan even includes that. I’m learning a lot about weather.”

The average fan’s focus is on a three-hour game, an enormous halftime show and a gut-busting amount of food consumption throughout the day.

For the host committee, though, that game is merely the after-party.

NFL officials advised Melangton that 150,000 people will filter through Indianapolis in the week leading up to kickoff. That’s more than double the number of tickets available for the game.

“Our focus is making sure those people have a great customer service experience, also,” Melangton said. “People get crabby if three things aren’t in order. One, if they want food but can’t find a restaurant where they can get seated and eat. Two, if they’re cold and can’t get warm. And three, if they need to use the bathroom and can’t find one, especially the women.”

Melangton has worked with the city’s food service and taxi providers to make sure they are prepared for the crunch.

The city and the committee had a dress rehearsal in 2010 when the men’s basketball Final Four was played in Indy. The NCAA estimated that between 50,000 and 60,000 fans showed up that weekend.

Traffic is another concern. Melangton describes Lucas Oil Stadium as having the “most urban” location in Super Bowl history.

“We have to balance street closures and parking issues in about a 10-block area without creating gridlock,” she said.

The only current contingency plan for the NFL lockout situation is that the weeks of Feb. 5 and Feb. 12 both are blocked off as possible game dates.

That was in place back in 2008, Melangton said, when the league already weighed the possibility of increasing the length of the regular season from 16 to 18 games.

Even after the clock hits zero, assuming the game is played, Melangton won’t be home free.

She is under contract until June 1. Final analysis and financial statements will be pending. Bills must be paid.

Then it’s off to London.

Melangton, a Sports Emmy Award winner for her work with NBC, has produced the gymnastics coverage at every Olympic Games since 1984.

“After that I’ll be 51, and it will be time to decide what I want to be when I grow up,” Melangton said. “It’s been fun. Who would have thought that a high school cheerleader would plan a Super Bowl?”

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