Bussin' With The Boys

Episode: Josh Pate Takes USC Over Notre Dame + Picks Alabama Over Tennessee With Will Compton & Taylor Lewan
Date: October 15, 2025

Episode Overview

This week, Will Compton and Taylor Lewan are joined by college football analyst Josh Pate for Week 7 “Separation Saturday," diving into marquee college football matchups and hot seat storylines. The Boys go through their own pick records, debate coaching rumors, break down major games including Utah vs. BYU (the “Holy War”), USC at Notre Dame, Ole Miss at Georgia, and a True Classic Game of the Week: Tennessee at Alabama. Expect locker room banter, betting angles, and in-depth tactical insights—plus unique analogies and standout jokes that keep things light.

Key Discussion Points & Game Breakdowns

1. Weekly Picks Recap & The State of the Boys’ Records

[00:00–06:56]

• Records Update:

  • Taylor Lewan: 0-5 last week (“Put a pumpkin in the chat!”)
  • Josh Pate: 2-3
  • Will Compton: 4-1 (“Bald Willie C keeps the hair, for now.”)
  • All three hosts now sit at 18-19 on the season.

• Attitude Check:

  • Lewan jokes about the difficulty in being this ice-cold (“It's just as hard to go 0-5 as it is to go 5-0.”).
  • Pate offers perspective: “People think 3-2 is bad. If you do 60% for your life, you own this building and several others.” (06:00)

2. Coaching Carousel & Hot Seats

[07:07–13:16]

• Josh Pate’s Insider Angles:

  • Predicts several high-profile job openings (mentions Auburn, Florida, Penn State).
  • “If you’re sitting there and you're the head coach at Penn State… You know that there’s going to be more demand, which means the market, and your price, is going to get driven up.” (08:01)
  • Cautions: “Some people like this more than the games themselves. Those are sick people. But there are people like that out there, the hot seat crowd.” (08:32)

• Potential Domino Effect:

  • Hypothetical: if Washington upsets Michigan, coaching rumors around Michigan get loud overnight.

3. Utah at BYU (“The Holy War”) Betting Breakdown

[14:14–19:03]

• Game Context & Banter:

  • Line: Utah favored by 3.5.
  • Lewan owns his biases: “I saw American Primeval, left a bad taste about a certain group. So when I’m watching BYU film, I might not be seeing it with clear vision…” (14:20)

• Matchup Discussion:

  • Utah praised for their decisive win over West Virginia (“smacked him 48-14”) compared to BYU (“dog fight with Arizona, OT”).
  • Josh Pate: “This is the Holy War. BYU undefeated… and Utah still favored. I thought you were what your record says you are in college football…” (16:15)

• Picks:

  • All three ultimately side with Utah.
    • Josh Pate: “Utah minus three and a half.” (18:11)

4. USC at Notre Dame (“Statement Game or Not?”)

[22:07–29:52]

• Line: Notre Dame favored by 9.5, O/U 61.5.

• USC’s Statement:

  • Pate: “It’s a welcome change. We outrushed Michigan. We were the most physical team on the field against Michigan… Where you make statements is on the road as a 9.5 point dog against a team that believes they can lean on you.” (23:00)

• Key Tactical Questions:

  • “Is Notre Dame’s defensive resurgence real?”
  • “Can their man-heavy defense keep pace with USC’s Lemon and Lane?”
  • “If USC has edge there, downstream they have edge all night long.” (24:10)

• Consensus:

  • All three ultimately back USC plus the points.
  • Josh Pate: “I’ll say it softly. I’ll believe in Lincoln Riley and I’ll take the points with USC.” (24:58)
  • Lewan: “If you’re going to run man versus those guys the whole time… I also agree with you.” (25:15)
  • Compton: “With nine and a half points, I’m taking USC ten times out of ten here.” (27:02)

• Betting Caution:

  • Pate: “Historically, this is a trap spot… but I actually think we've passed a curve in betting logic. I don’t think this is a Notre Dame run away and hide type moment.” (29:16)

5. LSU at Vanderbilt: Trap Game for the Tigers?

[29:59–37:17]

• Line: Vanderbilt -2.5 favorites (!!)

• Hosts Reactions:

  • The panel is shocked Vandy is favored, but support the reasoning: coming off a bye, LSU’s offense is stagnant, defense “good, not great.”
  • Compton: “I’ve been calling LSU fraud since the Florida game…” (31:11)
  • Pate: “LSU hasn't had a single game above 4 yards per carry till last week… got to see it one more week.” (34:00)
  • Vanderbilt’s Strength: No. 1 in the country in yards per rush; expected to expose LSU’s defensive “eye discipline” issues.

• Picks:

  • All three pick Vanderbilt.
  • Pate: “Even if LSU does some things right, they’re just flat out playing a good team this week... I’m going to take Vandy and lay the points.” (34:27)

• Coaching Fallout Angle:

  • Pate: “If they lose to Vanderbilt Saturday, I don't care how good Vanderbilt is… That noise is really, really loud.” (36:05)

6. Ole Miss at Georgia: Can Kiffin’s “Death Star” Strike?

[40:44–47:52]

• Line: Georgia -7.5, O/U 53.5.

• Georgia’s First Half Problems:

  • Pate: “This is the most important first half in college football this Saturday… Ole Miss number six in first half passing; Georgia’s 85th in first half pass yards allowed.” (43:11/43:17)

• Tactical Breakdown:

  • If Ole Miss gets out fast, the panel thinks Georgia’s comeback ability is muted against a team with explosive offense and solid pass defense.
  • Pate: “If the line is above 7, I’m taking Ole Miss plus the points. First half tells you everything.” (44:55)

• Analogy Time:

  • Will Compton delivers the “Lane Kiffin as Anakin Skywalker” analogy:

    “Once upon a time, in a faraway galaxy, Lane Kiffin or Anakin Skywalker was the chosen one... This is where Darth Kiffin is born… It’s about showing the world you don't have to be a clone of Nick Saban to conquer college football.” (51:09–52:11)

• Picks:

  • Lewan & Pate: Ole Miss +7.5
  • Compton sides with Georgia for variety: “Since you guys took Ole Miss, I’m just going to go Georgia.” (47:52)

7. Tennessee at Alabama ("True Classic Game of the Week")

[57:26–68:05]

• Line: Bama -7.5, O/U 58.5

• Live Audience Fan Segment:

  • Tennessee and Alabama fans in-studio bring keys to victory.
    • Tennessee: “If Joey Aguilar goes down into Tuscaloosa and wins, we’re building a goddamn statue in Knoxville.” (58:04)

• Panel Breaks Down Matchup:

  • Tennessee’s secondary is “terrible,” but their pass rush is elite.
  • Ty Simpson (Alabama) excels vs. pressure and broken plays—Bama’s skill players highlighted.
  • Pate: “Bama’s passing game vs. Tennessee’s secondary: number 15 pass offense vs. number 123 pass defense. I think there are moments where you think Tennessee's got a shot… then Bama wins by double digits in the end.” (67:24)

• Picks:

  • Unanimous for Alabama -7.5.
  • Compton: “I think Alabama is a national title competitive type team… I just don't think Tennessee has enough in the second half.” (64:56)

• If Line Moved:

  • “If this line was at 9.5, would you lean Tennessee?”
  • Pate: “I’d need 10.5 or more to go Tennessee. Got it right at 10—that’s the model.” (70:39)

8. Other Notable Segments

• Dog of the Week:

  • Will: Michigan State +27.5 (vs. Indiana)
  • Josh: Syracuse +10.5 (vs. Pitt)
  • Taylor: Georgia Tech +1.5 (vs. Duke) (76:04)

• Chaos Parlay (Bussin’ with the Boys Parlay):

  • South Carolina +5.5
  • Mizzou -1.5 (at Auburn)
  • Mississippi State +8.5 (at Florida)
  • “This is a chaos parlay… That totals out to +614. Big hugs, tiny kisses, again make sure you are subscribed. Have a hell of a weekend.” (78:28)

Notable Quotes & Banter

• Lewan on his ice-cold picks:

  • “Put a pumpkin in the chat. That one sucks.” (00:26)

• Josh Pate on hot seat rumors:

  • “Some people like [coaching rumors] more than the games themselves. Those are sick people. But there are people like that, the hot seat crowd.” (08:32)

• Will Compton on perspective:

  • “It’s just as hard to go 0-5 as it is to go 5-0. So the people that faded you, they’re celebrating!” (06:22)

• Pate on betting logic:

  • “If you do 60% for your life, you own this building and several others.” (06:00)

• USC/Notre Dame matchups:

  • “I believe just enough about the year two improvement they've made defensively that I don't think it's a runaway game for Notre Dame.” (24:50, Josh)

• Lane Kiffin/Anakin Skywalker analogy:

  • “It’s about showing the world you don’t have to be a clone of Nick Saban to conquer college football.” (52:11, Will)

• Pate with a movie analogy:

  • “Imagine the ending of Jaws if instead of shooting that shark and blowing him up, he just misses the tank of gas and the shark just devours him. That’s Lane sinking into the ocean with the rifle in his hand, and Kirby’s just chewing on the gas tank…” (53:42)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00 – Opening Banter / Records Update
• 07:07 – Coaching Carousel & Hot Seats
• 14:14 – Utah at BYU (Holy War) Betting Breakdown
• 22:07 – USC at Notre Dame: Statement Game?
• 29:59 – LSU at Vanderbilt: Trap Game?
• 40:44 – Ole Miss at Georgia: "Death Star" vs. "Mace Windu"
• 47:52 – Will’s “Anakin Skywalker” Kiffin Analogy
• 57:26 – Tennessee at Alabama (True Classic Game of the Week)
• 76:04 – Dogs of the Week
• 78:28 – “Chaos Parlay” Picks

Show Tone and Style

• Authentic Locker Room Energy: Lot of friendly roasting, natural crosstalk, and “Big hugs, tiny kisses” signoffs.
• Inside Football Insight: Serious breakdowns from Josh Pate and the Boys for betting, game strategy, and behind-the-scenes context.
• Pop Culture & Inside Jokes: Movie and Star Wars analogies, spontaneous jokes about game stakes and fandom.

Summary For New Listeners

This episode delivers smart, in-depth gambling and football insight alongside irreverent, relatable locker-room humor. The Boys' unique chemistry with Josh Pate brings out thoughtful tactical breakdowns and playful analogies (Lane Kiffin as Anakin Skywalker, Jaws ending for Georgia-Ole Miss). The panel agrees on trouble for LSU, sees value with Utah and USC, and expects Bama to cover, while making space for underdog picks and the rare “chaos parlay.” If you want to be in the know on coaching carousel rumors, bet angles, and what makes or breaks a Top 10 matchup, this is your bus stop.