Bussin' With The Boys – Episode Summary

Episode: Josh Pate Picks Arch Manning & Texas Over Oklahoma + Will Compton & Taylor Lewan Ride With Oregon
Date: October 8, 2025
Hosts: Will Compton, Taylor Lewan
Guest: Josh Pate

Overview

This episode is a lively, analytic, and irreverent ride through the top college football matchups of the week, full of locker-room candor, banter, and insider insight. The boys are joined by college football analyst Josh Pate to preview Michigan vs. USC, Texas vs. Oklahoma, Ohio State vs. Illinois, Alabama vs. Missouri, and Indiana vs. Oregon. Along the way, the crew debates picks, trash-talks teams and coaches (with love), and gets meta about picking against their own biases and past mistakes. There’s also talk of streaks, trends, transitive properties, and coaching rumors.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage and State of the Record Books (00:00 – 05:01)

• Spooktober, records update: Taylor leads at 18-14, Josh at 16-16, Will at 14-18—"Everything's real close. A lot of weeks left. We have a lot of games to go over." (A, 00:32)
• The boys set a tone of competition, camaraderie, and good-natured ribbing, promising both serious analysis and fun.

2. Commissioner’s Poll and Poll Positioning (05:01 – 08:47)

• Arguments about Georgia Tech vs. Mizzou in the top 10.
• Josh confesses the order was a virtual coin flip, revealing how tough decisions are sometimes made in poll-making.

  "We take five minutes on it, and I said, just put them down in whatever order." (B, 06:00)

• Cincinnati over Nebraska: Josh justifies going beyond head-to-head due to better recent performances.
• Banter about Dogs of the Week records—Will: “Your boy is 6-1 on dogs this year.”

3. Game Previews and Picks

Michigan at USC (08:55 – 19:40)

• Michigan Bias vs. Analysis:
  • Taylor: Deep Michigan bias but admits nerves, especially with USC’s explosive offense and the blitz stat:

    "I would love to just go on a rampage about Michigan and how they're going to dominate... But Jordan Maava does great against the blitz—completion percentage against the Blitz is like 87.5%." (A, 09:12)

  • Will: Feels USC's offense is too much for Michigan, questioning Michigan's ability to keep up and concluding:

    "USC since 2022, since Lincoln rally showed up as a home favorite. They're 18-2 after a bye week... I like USC in this spot." (C, 14:22)

  • Josh: Despite making the case for USC, ultimately rides with Michigan:

    “If I'm going to be wrong here, I'm going to be wrong riding with Michigan. I'm taking Michigan to win the game.” (B, 18:31)

• Banter about game nerves, last year’s explosive Michigan runs vs. USC, and mutual ribbing about fandom.

Red River Shootout: Texas vs. Oklahoma (19:45 – 31:24)

• Texas favored by 1.5.
• Josh Pate clarifies he’s not a Texas hater:

  "I wasn't a Texas hater. I was a Texas truth teller last week... I think Texas wins." (B, 22:10)

• Will backs Oklahoma, charmed by QB John Mateer:

  "If Mattier plays 100%, 80%, 75%, I like them pushing the ball down the field enough to win this game." (A, 27:16)

• Discussion about desperation, wounded animal theory, and coaching hot seats (Sark at Texas).

Ohio State at Illinois (32:30 – 39:47)

• Ohio State favored by 14.5.
• Taylor prefers Illinois +14.5:

  “For me it’s just too many points. It’s a lot of points at Illinois.” (A, 33:23)

• Will and Josh both acknowledge Illinois is underrated but Will picks OSU to cover:

  “I just think Ohio State's going to be ready to go... they're going to go into Illinois, and I think they cover this.” (C, 35:05)
  “Ohio State has so few possessions right now offensively—they just grind the game to a halt... But I'll take Ohio State to win and cover.” (B, 36:18)

• More ‘transitive property’ jokes and nerd-out on mid-season team comparisons.

Alabama at Missouri (42:50 – 52:03)

• Alabama favored by 3.5.
• Taylor loves Bama, especially after they “buried Georgia”:

  “This is my favorite pick of the entire week. I think Missouri... they haven’t really played anybody.” (A, 43:31)

• Will is wary of Alabama’s "trend" issues on the road.
• Josh notes Missouri’s defensive stats are legit but has concerns about how they scale vs. elite:

  “…You can't know until you know. But I am going to by the slightest of margins, bank on Missouri having a little bit of a scaling issue... Very slight lean Alabama minus the points.” (B, 50:00)

• Will takes Missouri plus the points based on matchups and emotional letdown potential for Bama.

Indiana at Oregon – True Classic Game of the Week (53:47 – 63:44)

• Oregon favors by 7.5.
• Indiana’s talking trash (Kurt Signetti) sets up hype.
• Will and Taylor are extremely confident in Oregon:

  “I think Oregon beats their ass again. This is another team traveling out to the West Coast.” (C, 59:02)

• Josh is the lone voice for Indiana +7.5, believing their QB can keep up and “trade points.”

  "I just think they can trade points. I think it's going to be a one-possession type game." (B, 62:13)

4. Dogs of the Week & Parlays (63:44 – 72:26)

• Underdog picks:
  • Will: Florida (+7.5 at Texas A&M): “Gator magic is real.”
  • Taylor: UCLA +9.5 vs. Michigan State (admitting it’s a gut pick, maybe not wise)
  • Josh: Kansas +14.5 vs. Texas Tech: “This is going to be a knife fight.”
• Quick recap of previous parlay winners, including a wild success story plus 258,000 odds.

  “Who takes UCLA over Penn State? A psychopath.” (C, 75:59)

5. Rumors & Coaching Carousel (40:01, 65:14, 73:29)

• Matt Rhule coaching rumors:
  • Joking worry about him leaving Nebraska.
  • If Penn State or Florida open, could Rhule be in the mix? “It’d be bad for college football if Matt Rhule left Nebraska.” (B, 40:36)
• Hugh Freeze (Auburn) hot-seat speculation.
• General sense a coaching "crisis" and shakeup could be brewing nationally:

  “It sounds like there could be a lot of dominoes about to fall… and I feel like maybe, just maybe… that there could be some craziness about to happen in the coaching world.” (B, 73:55)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On picking against your bias:

  “I’ve worked on my Michigan problem quietly. I don’t want to be labeled a hero, but I’ve done the work off camera, I’ve done the work in the dark so that I can come to you in the light and say, if I’m going to be wrong here, I’m going to be wrong riding with Michigan.” – Josh Pate (18:15)

• On the Red River Shootout name:

  “When I was born, the game is called the Red River Shootout, okay? Somewhere along the way it got changed, but I never changed it.” – Josh (19:52)

• On the transitive property:

  “...The didn’t-know-ball crowd just started talking about the transitive property. They thought they had football licked. Well, if A beat B and B beat C, how could C possibly beat A? And then C would beat A...” – Josh (31:00)

• On Missouri's defense:

  “What gives me the most concern for Alabama is... this is a bigger challenge for Bama’s offensive line than Georgia was. Georgia can't pressure the quarterback. Missouri can.” – Josh (49:28)

• On coaching drama:

  “We’re the night before the 2008 crisis happened and all of America’s laying their head down on their pillow, completely oblivious... everything’s about to take a nosedive into the ocean. ...that there could be some craziness about to happen in the coaching world.” – Josh (73:55)

Timestamps – Key Segments

• Records, Spooktober banter: 00:00–05:01
• Commissioner's poll debates: 05:01–08:47
• Michigan vs. USC: 08:55–19:40
• Texas vs. Oklahoma (Red River): 19:45–31:24
• Ohio State vs. Illinois: 32:30–39:47
• Alabama vs. Missouri: 42:50–52:03
• Indiana vs. Oregon (True Classic Game): 53:47–63:44
• Dogs of the Week/Parlays: 63:44–72:26
• Coaching rumors and dominoes: 40:01, 65:14, 73:29

Tone & Style

• Locker room humor, brotherly ball-busting, and pop culture riffs (Animal House, Rob Zombie’s Halloween, Butterfly Effect).
• Honest, sometimes self-deprecating football intelligence mixed with wild college football lore and rumor-mongering.
• Plenty of inside jokes about “paper poppers,” “wounded animals,” and coaching “streaks vs. trends.”

For New Listeners

• This episode is a masterclass in passionate but humorous college football analysis, with plenty of sharp, sometimes emotional perspective on both the X’s and O’s and the broader storylines in the sport.
• If you want to know not just who the hosts are picking, but why—and how fandom, stats, and vibes intersect in making those picks—this is a must-listen.
• Expect more than picks: you’ll get culture, rumors, legacy talk, and plenty of laughs.

Summary Table – Picks

| Game | Will's Pick | Taylor's Pick | Josh Pate's Pick | |------------------------|--------------|---------------|------------------| | Michigan at USC | USC | Michigan | Michigan | | Texas vs. Oklahoma | Oklahoma | Texas | Texas | | Ohio State at Illinois | Ohio State | Illinois | Ohio State | | Alabama at Missouri | Missouri | Alabama | Alabama (lean) | | Indiana at Oregon | Oregon | Oregon | Indiana (+7.5) |

Dogs of the Week:

• Will: Florida (+7.5)
• Taylor: UCLA (+9.5)
• Josh: Kansas (+14.5)

Memorable Closer:

“Somehow we’re all gonna end up three and two again.” (A, 76:19)

Listen for:

• Betting leans and serious analysis
• Michigan and Oklahoma “problems”
• Banter about coaching carousels, wounded animals, and college football chaos
• The unique vibes of Bussin’ With The Boys: authenticity, competition, and full-send fun