Every blockbuster TV deal comes with fine print, and the one that just blew college football's postseason wide open hides a homework assignment inside it.

The College Football Playoff and ESPN agreed to a five-year deal reportedly worth nearly $1.7 billion that grows the bracket from 12 teams to 24 in 2027. The four Power 4 champions and the top-ranked Group of 6 team receive automatic bids, 19 at-large teams fill out the rest, and conference title games vanish, including a Big 12 Championship Game that drew 85,519 fans to AT&T Stadium in December 2025.

Tucked inside the agreement is a scheduling standard Colorado Buffaloes fans should circle in red ink. Every SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC program is expected to play at least 10 regular-season games against Power 4 opponents or Notre Dame to stay in the playoff conversation.

With the Big 12 playing nine league games, every member needs one Power 4 opponent outside the conference. Colorado, as luck would have it, finished that assignment nine years ago.

Aug. 15, 2017: Rick George signs Colorado's insurance policy

Back when Colorado still called the Pac-12 home and coach Mike MacIntyre roamed the sideline, then-athletic director Rick George agreed to a home-and-home series with Northwestern. The first leg was played in Evanston in September, and the return trip lands at Folsom Field on Sept. 11, 2027.

Lo and behold, that game is the only thing keeping the 2027 slate compliant. Colorado's other nonconference dates belong to FCS Colgate and Group of 6 Northern Illinois, so without the Wildcats, the program would be stuck at nine Power 4 games and working the phones like some other schools.

Big 12 rivals Texas Tech and TCU have to reshuffle their 2027 schedules to meet the standard, according to CBS Sports.

Dec. 19, 2023: Rick George takes the scenic route

Joining the Big 12 cost Colorado three nonconference series, since Houston, Kansas State and Oklahoma State turned into league opponents overnight. George filled the holes with five home dates against Group of 5 and FCS teams, saying the school "had an opportunity to take a new approach to scheduling" and betting that a softer September would clear a path to the playoff.

In hindsight, the new rule puts a ceiling on that blueprint. One Power 4 opponent plus two softer dates still clears the bar, but the selection committee will give no weight to a win over more than one FCS team in a season.

June 2026: Deion Sanders asks for 24 teams

"I would love 24. I would love 24, that would be tremendous," Colorado coach Deion Sanders said in a June interview, long before the ink dried on the ESPN deal. "If you would have had 24 teams a year ago, a multitude of teams from the Big 12 would have been participating in the playoffs."

Sanders had a point, and his own 2024 team proves it. Those Colorado Buffaloes finished 9-3 and No. 23 in the final CFP rankings, and running those rankings through the new model would have handed them one of the last at-large bids.

2032 and Beyond: Fernando Lovo inherits the fine print

Beyond 2027, Colorado's Power 4 safety net holds up nicely for a while before thinning out:

• 2028: at Florida, Sept. 9
• 2029: Florida at Folsom Field, Sept. 8
• 2030: SMU at home and a trip to Missouri
• 2031: Missouri at home and a trip to SMU
• 2032: North Texas is the only nonconference opponent on the books
• 2033: at North Texas and home against Colorado State, with one opening left

Here's the wrinkle hiding in plain sight. Colorado State now plays in the rebuilt Pac-12, which sits in the Group of 6, so the six Rocky Mountain Showdown dates between 2029 and 2038 won't count toward the magic number of 10.

Colorado athletic director Fernando Lovo can keep the rivalry alive, but every season that includes the Rams still needs a Power 4 opponent in one of the other two slots. A 10-game Big 12 schedule would solve the puzzle for everyone, and Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark tied that possibility to playoff expansion at July media days.

"All those variables are interconnected, if you will, and we'll address them when we need to," Yormark said at Big 12 media days on July 7.

Sign up to our free Colorado on SI newsletter and follow us on Facebook for the latest Colorado Buffaloes news.