Bussin' With The Boys — College Football Week 3 Breakdown

Episode: Taylor Lewan Rides Tennessee ML, Josh Pate CONFIDENT In Vanderbilt + Will Compton Believes In Miami
Date: September 10, 2025
Hosts: Will Compton, Taylor Lewan, and guest college football analyst Josh Pate

Overview

This episode is a high-energy, unfiltered roundtable tackling the big narratives, upsets, and betting storylines heading into a pivotal third week of the college football season. NFL vets Will Compton and Taylor Lewan welcome the "commissioner" Josh Pate for deep dives into matchups like Florida-LSU, Vandy-South Carolina, Miami-USF, A&M-Notre Dame, and the titanic Georgia-Tennessee. The boys battle heartbreak from last week's bets, trade bold predictions, and show love to underdogs—Tennessee and Vanderbilt especially—while roasting each other and breaking down X's and O's in their signature locker room banter.

Standings Check & Show Vibes

[00:00–04:47]

• Will Compton recaps last week’s picks, where he went 4-1, overtaking both Taylor and Josh in their season-long friendly competition. The group commiserates over Josh’s 2-3 week, giving him a hard time but promising he’ll bounce back.
• Will encourages support for Josh, noting, “This is his livelihood. This is the thing he goes through every single week. And for him to have a two-and-three week, you know he's going to bounce back in a big way." (00:31)
• The boys set the stage for talking heavy college football action, while playfully ribbing each other.

Week 2 Reactions & Betting Debates

[04:48–11:32]

• Josh Pate laments changing his Missouri-Kansas pick last minute on Instagram Live and the public blowback. "If I had it all over to do again, would I change my pick from Missouri to Kansas on a Friday night? Yes. I wouldn't publicize it. That's the only thing I would." (05:27)
• Will and Josh debate coaching decisions that sway betting outcomes, focusing on last-minute field goals and backdoor covers.
• There’s a shared sentiment on the volatility of early-season football, i.e., “Who’s real contenders, who’s faking it till they’re making it?"

Team Therapy: Michigan, Oklahoma, Baylor/SMU Recaps

[07:41–11:32]

• Will vents over Michigan’s "conservative" gameplan and lack of offensive identity in a tough loss, feeling Michigan “just laid down” and questioning their grit.
  • Will: “This is the first game that I watched. I was like, what's our identity? … I was hurt a little bit.” (09:25)
• Josh commiserates, likening Iowa’s offense to "defensive specialty," and jokes about both teams being frustrating to watch offensively.

Matchups & Game Previews Breakdown

Florida at LSU — Who Bounces Back?

[12:19–27:07]

• Will loves the “wounded animal” spot for Florida, citing their talent despite undisciplined play against USF. He’s betting on a motivated Gators team facing pressure, “This is a must win for me, for Napier… this team is talented.”
• Josh Pate offers a kitchen analogy to explain Florida’s capability: “All of the preparation, all of the systems… is right... But when it comes time to win the games in the fall, the other guys do it. Georgia does it. Ohio State does it. Florida doesn't do it.” (15:07)
  • He questions if the Gators’ “potential” ever becomes “production.”
  • Picks LSU to win but thinks Florida covers, “Anything over a touchdown, I think Florida’s going to cover. I do think it’s going to be a dogfight.” (18:10)
• Taylor Lewan isn’t as forgiving, laments Florida’s lack of “situational awareness,” and the coaching staff’s defeated body language. Picks LSU -7.5, calling it possibly a “fold game” for Florida.
• The panel agrees Florida has the pieces, but questions mental toughness and discipline to overcome adversity in Death Valley.

Notable Quotes:

• Josh: “If the potential is just potential… it’s not really potential if it doesn’t become production.” (16:53)
• Taylor: “When you don’t have the success and there is this narrative around your head coach… the ‘I got tos’ don’t turn into optimistic pressure. It turns into pessimistic pressure.” (23:57)

Vanderbilt at South Carolina — The Commodore Case

[30:03–38:21]

• Will is “conflicted” but loves the “magic at Vanderbilt,” worries about betting against his favorites. You “just gotta let your heart go with it.”
• Taylor likes Vanderbilt +4.5 as “the bulletproof move,” preferring the cover but wary of outright upset.
• Josh Pate makes his boldest pick: “I’m taking Vanderbilt to win the game outright. I think they’re going to go over there and win the game.” (31:46)
• Discussion around South Carolina’s offensive uncertainty, Vandy’s unexpectedly massive O-line, and QB Diego Pavia’s “hero ball” capability.
• The group notes if Vandy can sustain drives, they could shock the tournament environment in Columbia.
• Will and Taylor eventually both endorse the line but hedge emotion over head.
• Josh: “History is not always a perfect indication of the future… but if it’s back and forth, Vandy’s got a shot.”

Memorable banter:

• “That was the most devious thing I’ve ever seen you do.” — Taylor on Josh’s outright Vandy pick (31:46)
• “You haven’t said one name right on our team. People cannot trust you right now.” — Will ribbing Taylor (32:50)

USF at Miami — Is The Bulls' Run For Real?

[39:04–46:41]

• Will is nervous about a possible “craps table” run with USF, but decides, “This is where you fold the cards… I’m out. I think this is where 17.5 gets covered on South Florida.”
• Josh agrees, notes Miami’s track record of not running it up, but “A double do-down spot. Inferior roster, two straight road games, Miami’s attention, all the ingredients. Not to mention, Carson Beck…”
• The group is unanimous: Miami covers. They agree the hype on USF was premature, and Miami won’t overlook them with a number next to their name.
  • Taylor: “I like Miami… They are the most battle tested.”
• Josh cautions fellow bettors: “I’m not just pouring money on this game… Miami's played down to competition too often under Cristobal for me to blindly trust them to pull away. But we do have to pick it.” (45:05)

Texas A&M at Notre Dame — Must Win for the Irish?

[48:49–58:11]

• Will and Taylor see this as a “must win” for Notre Dame, citing playoff implications if they fall to 0-2.
  • Will: “If you guys want to control your destiny… we have to win this football game, and I think every player knows it.” (54:24)
• Taylor worries about Notre Dame’s offensive line struggle vs Miami, but sees CJ Carr as “the guy.” Both predict Irish to win and cover.
• Josh is cautious. He notes Notre Dame’s O-line may just be facing two of the best DLs in the country to start the season: “If they don’t run the ball effectively… A&M’s got guys who can wreck you.”
  • Picks Texas A&M +6.5 but agrees it's critical for Notre Dame to maintain playoff control.
  • Highlights both teams’ similar DNA: ground-first, methodical, “the same ethos face each other early in the season.”
• There’s a shared belief the physical group up front will respond after a humbling loss and a bye week.

Georgia at Tennessee — “True Classic Game of the Week”

[58:18–73:30]

Tennessee Hype and Hope

• Chef (Tennessee fan/writer) shares: “It’s been eight long years… Georgia is the last on the list. I think this game comes down to can we beat out man coverage and get a light box?” (60:20)
• Josh Pate explains what’s held Tennessee back: lack of downfield passing and the inability to run efficiently against Georgia. “You gotta do some stuff you haven’t done to get the result you haven’t gotten.” (64:01)
• He sides with Georgia: “My philosophy is—if I'm proven wrong, I'll be proven wrong by Kirby Smart not coming through in a game he’s owned.” (63:54)
  • He says the default is Georgia and needs to see Tennessee’s play to be convinced otherwise.

Georgia’s Side & Kirby Trust

• Will says the Bulldogs “own Neyland Stadium… Kirby Smart has walked in their living room… put his feet wherever he wanted… He has owned Neyland Stadium.” (66:25)
• He trusts Georgia’s depth and defense, noting Tennessee must “make big plays to win this game… just foundationally [they] won’t beat Georgia.”
• Taylor sets up an evocative metaphor, comparing Georgia to Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th): “What Georgia wants to do is get you into a mud fight… drag you into the water... That’s what Georgia wants to be.” But then, flips and calls for the upset: “Joey Aguilar might be the first quarterback to walk into Tennessee… people are going to clap and love him… I like Tennessee to cover. I like Tennessee Moneyline in this game.” (70:22)
• Josh: “If just that thing is true, Tennessee will win… I have to be proven wrong by seeing that happen versus Kirby Smart.” (72:14)

Notable Quotes:

• Chef: "It’s been eight long years of losing to Georgia… Georgia is the last on the list." (60:20)
• Taylor: “Joey Aguilar might be the first quarterback… people are going to clap and love him…” (69:27)
• Josh: "You gotta do some stuff you haven’t done to get the result you haven’t gotten." (64:01)
• Taylor: “Friday the 13th is essentially Halloween, but, like, X rated… more gory and more boobs.” (71:25)
• Will: “If I'm going Tennessee and I'm just relying on big plays to happen… that's where you gotta go Georgia. That's why I like Georgia in this game.” (72:29)

Weekly Parlays & Dogs of the Week

[73:52–83:39]

• Taylor’s dog: Arizona over Kansas State, “That program’s dead. Give me Arizona.” (76:37)
• Josh: Oregon State +23.5 at Texas Tech. “They just gotta get out of this one alive… Oregon State plus 23.5, that’s my favorite.” (77:00)
  • Picks Georgia Tech to beat Clemson outright as his dog of the week, calling for chaos in the ACC.
• Will: New Mexico Lobos +15.5 against UCLA. “UCLA is favored… You go and stomp that down.”
• Parlay picks:
  • Missouri -27.5 vs Louisiana
  • Oregon State +23.5 at Texas Tech
  • Oregon -27.5 at Northwestern (“Ducks are flying high.”)

Noteworthy Banter:

• “You have the Ramen noodle Express… Teams that are going to die, you should have just the train station.”—Will, riffing with Josh (80:34)
• Panel roasts Northwestern’s “brand next to the Big Ten logo” and, tongue-in-cheek, coach’s trash talk aimed at Oregon’s Dan Lanning.

Closing Thoughts

[83:41–end]

• The group recaps their picks and looks to next week, hyping the coming “Bussin’ Bowl” live show in Lincoln, Nebraska.
• Final sendoff: “Big hug, tiny kisses. See you next week.”

TL;DR Key Moments with Timestamps

• Josh Pate’s Kitchen Analogy (Florida): (15:07)
• Taylor’s Friday the 13th Metaphor (Georgia/Tennessee): (70:22)
• Boldest Pick — Vanderbilt outright over South Carolina: (31:46)
• Panel unanimously shifting against USF hype: (39:04–45:05)
• Will’s heartfelt take on bounce-back urgency after bye week: (54:24)

Episode Vibe

Unapologetically honest, brash, deeply knowledgeable—and always hilarious. The boys love their college football pain and bring the insight and energy for fans who want more than just picks: they want the human drama and the stories that make college football so much fun.