Bussin' With The Boys: Josh Pate Discusses The College Football Playoff w/ Will Compton & Taylor Lewan + Army Vs Navy Picks

Date: December 10, 2025
Podcast: Bussin' With The Boys
Hosts: Will Compton & Taylor Lewan
Guest: Josh Pate (Late Kick / ESPN)

Overview

In this episode, Will Compton and Taylor Lewan are joined by college football analyst Josh Pate to break down the 2025 College Football Playoff chaos, controversies over rankings and G5 inclusions, the future of the sport, Notre Dame’s playoff snub, and the evolving landscape of NIL, private equity, and collective bargaining in college athletics. They also give Army vs. Navy picks and Heisman predictions, while keeping the locker room banter lively and direct.

Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. Behind the Scenes: ESPN Altcast Experience

[04:11-13:31]

• First Impressions: The crew reflects on their recent ESPN "Altcast" game broadcast, sharing stories about technical glitches, dry runs, and dealing with constant producer chatter in their ears.
• Memorable Guests: Interviews with Sean Alexander, Brandon Spikes, and Quavo, and the challenge of managing conversations on air.
• Broadcast Insight:
  • “Never sit at home and hate on an announcer for getting a name wrong... those dudes have air traffic control in their ears.” – Josh Pate [08:32]
  • Will’s enthusiasm compared to the formal approach of others and how the live energy impacted the show.

2. The College Football Playoff Is "Broken"

[13:34–23:28]

• Process vs. System:
  • Will and Taylor believe the playoff system is fundamentally broken; Josh clarifies the distinction between the process being broken (rankings/game logic) and the system (final teams selected).
  • “So even if you did get it right, even if the product is right, if the process is wrong, you just, like, fomented distrust in the entire thing.” – Josh Pate [15:18]
• Notre Dame’s Playoff Snub:
  • “Notre Dame got squeezed out… And by the way, they never really explained why they flipped Alabama. Notre Dame…they started to put insurance policies in place.” – Will Compton [16:18]
• SEC Bias: Acknowledged as real and influential; the boys highlight the lack of consistency versus ACC, Big 12 teams.
  • “The treatment of conferences is conditional…The Big 12 is not going to get the same respect the SEC does.” – Josh Pate [21:06]

3. The G5 Debate and ACC Tiebreaker

[21:32–31:16]

• G5 Inclusion Critique: All three agree the Group of 5 auto-bid is problematic and diminishes playoff quality.
  • “I don't think G5 teams should be in the playoff because they don't meet the minimum baseline of struggle...” – Josh Pate [25:59]
• ACC Tiebreaker Disaster:
  • “If nothing else changed, but the ACC fixed their tiebreakers, none of this would have happened.” – Josh Pate [21:32]
• Strength of Schedule & Merit:
  • “They’re not playing the same sport...I don't judge you based on what I think you would be capable of, I judge you based on what I think you earned.” – Josh Pate [25:59]
• Systemic Flaws:
  • “Stuff like this has to happen for change to take place.” – Taylor Lewan [25:22]

4. Playoff Expansion, Exclusion & the SEC

[34:08–44:58]

• Will Expansion Help?
  • “My belief: people being mad at the end of the season isn’t automatically evidence that something’s broken... If you expand to the point where no one’s mad, you got a playoff that’s way too big.” – Josh Pate [44:07]
• Notre Dame's Dilemma:
  • Discussion about the clause guaranteeing Notre Dame a top-12 playoff spot in future years, and the irony of their exclusion after years of being the “favorite child” of college football.
  • “Now Notre Dame’s making the kind of argument that like a Fresno State would have made in the past...” – Josh Pate [44:45]
• System Trust Issues:
  • “If they would just come out and say the reality of the situation versus trying to make stuff up...that would play with more favor from the public eye.” – Will Compton [47:13]

5. NIL, Private Equity, and the Future of College Football

[57:05–72:35]

• Utah’s Private Equity Deal:
  • Utah became the first program to accept a $500M private equity investment, raising concerns about the influence of outside financiers on athletics decision-making.
  • “The real question I have becomes, who's making decisions for Utah Athletics now?” – Josh Pate [59:40]
• Chaos in Athlete Compensation:
  • The need for a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) to bring order to NIL and player compensation.
  • “If we have a CBA in college football, I think you have a pay scale that’s very much correlated to like a rookie pay scale versus a second contract...” – Josh Pate [66:51]
• Impact on Player Mentality and College Culture:
  • Nostalgia for when college football was more about development, “the process owes you nothing”; concern that NIL money for recruits changes motivations.

6. Army vs. Navy Picks

[87:00–89:07]

• Lines & Predictions:
  • Navy is a 6.5-point favorite; total points over/under set at 37.5.
  • Taylor: Over 37.5 [87:19]
  • Will & Josh: Under 37.5 [87:30]
  • “Under 37 and a half has always been a safe play in the service academy games…It’s not baked enough into the number.” – Josh Pate [87:35]
• Sentiment:
  • Pride and appreciation for the Army-Navy game; patriotic tone and locker room chemistry.

7. Heisman Trophy Discussion

[77:56–83:11]

• Favorite Candidates:
  • Diego Pavia and Fernando Mendoza discussed as frontrunners.
  • “He took one of the hardest hits of the season, got back up and cut one of the great postgame promos in the modern era, buddy.” – Josh Pate [78:55]
• Stat Comparison: Pavia's added rushing production may tip the scales.
  • “Who is the best player in college football and who does more for their team than anybody else?... It’s Diego Pavia.” – Taylor Lewan [80:07]
• Heisman Voting Process Doubts:
  • “It was at that point that I lost faith in the process.” (On learning a staff assistant had a vote) – Josh Pate [82:13]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On ESPN Playoff Broadcasts:
  “We had minimum traffic in our ears. If you're doing legit, like, play by play in the Booth, you got 37 different voices in your ear...” – Josh Pate [08:32]

• On SEC Playoff Privilege:
  “The SEC does carry bigger stick, deeper pockets…” – Will Compton [34:08]

• On Committee’s Logic:
  “I wish they’d just come out and say we changed our mind. We’re 13 humans and as we continue to watch the games, we changed our mind.” – Josh Pate [48:26]

• Private Equity and the Future:
  “Who's making decisions for Utah Athletics now?...They want a return on their investment.” – Josh Pate [59:44]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Altcast stories & ESPN behind-the-scenes: [04:11 – 13:31]
• Is college football system “broken” + Notre Dame snub: [13:34 – 23:28]
• G5, tiebreakers, strength of schedule arguments: [21:32 – 31:16]
• Playoff expansion and SEC bias: [34:08 – 44:58]
• Notre Dame’s future playoff clause & transparency calls: [45:05 – 48:33]
• NIL chaos, private equity, collective bargaining future: [57:05 – 72:35]
• Army vs. Navy breakdown & picks: [87:00 – 89:07]
• Heisman pick banter and voting process: [77:56 – 83:11]

Tone & Style

• Locker-room banter: Sarcastic, insightful, and irreverent, with plenty of friendly jabs and unfiltered honesty.
• Accessible to die-hard fans and casual listeners, balancing detailed analysis with relatable stories and humor.

Summary Takeaway

This episode dives deeply into the chaos and dysfunction of the current College Football Playoff selection process, using Notre Dame as a case study while lambasting SEC favoritism and G5 auto-bids. The boys demand real reform, praise the pageantry of Army-Navy, and lament college football’s Wild West NIL moment—hinting the only solution might be a big, NFL-style collective bargaining and TV deal. All delivered in true Bussin’ style: bold, unvarnished, and a little bit rowdy.

“If nothing else changed, but the ACC fixed their tiebreakers, none of this would have happened.” – Josh Pate [21:32]