Colorado AD Rick George endorses potential new CFP format

The Colorado Buffaloes were heavily involved in the College Football Playoff talk in the second half of the 2024 season before flaming out on the road against the Kansas Jayhawks late in the year. It was the closest the Buffs have been to a CFB berth since 2016 when they lost the Pac-12 Championship Game, and just the second time they’ve even been somewhat in the conversation in the CFP era.

The new 12-team playoff format has only been in place for one season and is already seeing some tweaks, as the top four conference champions receiving a bye is already out the window. After Boise State received the No. 3 seed and Arizona State received the No. 4 seed, and both lost in the quarterfinal round, the committee and many others realized that a straight-seeding model is the best way to go forward.

Just a week after the change was made to the seeding format, talks surrounding a potential 16-team format have been gaining steam. This way of seeding the playoff would include the top five conference champions and 11 at-large teams. Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark recently appeared on SportsCenter, and gave his reasoning for why he wants to see the 5+11 format.

“We want to earn it on the field. It’s fair. It’s what our fans want. They don’t want an invitational,” Yormark said.

The reality of the playoff is that someone is going to feel that they got screwed over one way or another. In the original four-team playoff, the fifth team felt like they got screwed (just ask Florida State). In the 12-team playoff, the eighth at-large team were the ones not feeling so good (Alabama). If this format takes shape, it’s just going to be the 12th at-large team receiving the short end of the stick. In 2024, that team was the Big 12’s own BYU, who finished at No. 17.

Colorado Athletic Director Rick George echoed Yormark’s sentiment as this format would only give the Buffs a better chance at making a playoff berth. The switch to turf at Folsom Field showed that the program has plans to host a playoff game in the future, and this change would help achieve that goal.

Agree with our Commish!! https://t.co/tmOFB8h6SZ

— Rick George (@RickGeorgeCU) May 30, 2025

This format would give more teams a chance to earn their stripes on the field, but the likelihood of those extra spots going to Big 12 teams instead of more SEC or Big 10 teams is slim. The conference only finished with four teams in the final rankings of the season, with Arizona State being the only program in the top 16.

At the end of the day, more teams being in the CFP only helps Coach Prime and the Buffs. They got very close in 2024, and were even being projected as a top-four seed with a first-round bye at one point, and another expansion would only help them. However, without Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders leading the way, will they be able to have as much success in the future as they did a season ago?

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