Colorado Buffaloes Athletic Director Rick George has never shied away from speaking his mind on the evolving landscape of college athletics. In recent months, George has emerged as one of the most vocal and passionate advocates for a more comprehensive and inclusive College Football Playoff (CFP) system. His stance is rooted not only in the interests of his program and conference but also in a broader vision for the future of college football.
George’s commitment to playoff expansion stems from a core belief: that access and opportunity are essential to maintaining the sport’s integrity and appeal. As the leader of Colorado’s athletic department and a key figure in the reshaping of the Big 12 following the university’s return to the conference, George has had a front-row seat to the shifting power dynamics in college football. With superconferences forming and the concentration of elite programs intensifying, he argues that the CFP must adapt accordingly.
“The game is evolving, and our postseason format needs to evolve with it,” George recently stated. “We can’t continue to limit the opportunity for deserving teams to compete for a national championship. If we want college football to thrive nationally—not just in a few regions—we need a playoff system that reflects that.”
Currently, the College Football Playoff is set to expand from four to 12 teams in 2026, a move George has publicly supported but also questioned for not happening sooner. He has expressed frustration with what he perceives as inertia from decision-makers, especially given the widespread consensus that the current four-team model is inadequate.
“The 12-team expansion is a step in the right direction, but frankly, it should have been implemented years ago,” George said. “There have been too many seasons where teams have done everything asked of them—won their conference, gone undefeated—and still been left out. That’s not a fair system. That’s not sustainable.”
George has also pointed to the increasing divide between Power Four conferences and the rest of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a reason to rethink how postseason access is granted. He argues that in a world of escalating media rights deals, NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) revenue, and player movement through the transfer portal, the CFP must ensure a level playing field—or at least the appearance of one—to maintain the sport’s national relevance.
For George, fairness isn’t just a philosophical stance; it’s a practical one. He views the playoff as an essential mechanism for retaining fan engagement, especially in parts of the country that have been marginalized by the current system. Colorado’s resurgence under head coach Deion Sanders has reignited interest in Boulder and beyond, and George believes that programs like his need a tangible pathway to the sport’s ultimate prize in order to build sustainable success.
“Recruiting, fundraising, fan support—it’s all connected,” George explained. “If the message to programs outside the traditional powers is that you have no shot, you’re going to see programs fall behind. And when that happens, the sport becomes less competitive and less interesting to a national audience.”
George’s stance also extends to advocating for more transparency and consistency in the playoff selection process. He has been critical of the CFP committee’s lack of clear criteria and believes that a larger playoff field will help mitigate some of the subjectivity that currently plagues the system.
“With more teams in the playoff, you reduce the margin for error in the selection process,” he said. “You still want the best teams in, of course. But expanding the field gives us a better chance of getting
