Rick George, Brett Yormark push for 16-team College Football Playoff
Rick George, Brett Yormark push for 16-team College Football Playoff
Talks of expanding the College Football Playoff to 16 teams are gaining momentum just a season after Ohio State won the first iteration of the 12-team format. Although expansion talk is still in its early stages, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark has been a vocal supporter of greater access and fairness in the playoff structure.
Colorado athletic director Rick George joined Yormark in supporting expansion in hopes of giving the Big 12 programs more chances at claiming a playoff spot.
George and Yormark advocate for a 5+11 model—five automatic bids for conference champions (four Power Four, one for the top Group of Five/Six team) and 11 at-large bids.
"More access is better for the Big 12 for sure," Yormark said in an ESPN interview last week. "But I'm also about fairness... we want to earn it on the field. And I'm adamant about that."
Yormark added that fans want a true playoff system rather than an invitational that rewards the Big 10 and SEC. He also called last season's inaugural 12-team playoff "fantastic."
George echoed Yormark's stance on social media, backing a 16-team expansion and the 5+11 structure.
His support reflects Colorado's position within the playoff landscape: an up-and-coming program but one likely not to make a 12-team playoff barring a tremendous season. The Buffaloes have never made the CFP in either the four or 12-team formats. Last season, Colorado finished No. 23 in the final CFP rankings.
In 2024, only the conference champion, Arizona State, earned an automatic spot. The fact that a talented second-place Big 12 team rarely would make the 12-team playoff sparked renewed interest within the conference for further expansion, especially in a league known for its competitiveness and depth rather than a few elite programs.
Yormark believes the 5+11 format promotes merit-based selection. However, he acknowledged the plan needs backing from the sport's most powerful conferences: the SEC and Big Ten.
"They have a great responsibility to do what's right for college football, not just for two conferences," Yormark said.
With limited postseason access and a growing gap in national influence between the SEC, Big Ten and other top conferences, leaders like George are expected to continue pushing for a broader CFP—one that gives programs like Colorado a realistic shot at making it in.
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