Josh Pate’s College Football Show

Episode: CFP Calendar Disaster & Signing Day Nostalgia – Pate State Extra

Release Date: February 4, 2026
Host: Josh Pate
Publisher: iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

In this Pate State Extra edition, Josh Pate delivers a candid, unfiltered exploration of two hot-button issues in college football: the chaos of the new College Football Playoff (CFP) calendar and a nostalgic reflection on the lost magic of traditional National Signing Day. The episode combines critical analysis, amusing anecdotes, and sincere longing for college football’s golden era, all in Josh’s conversational, no-nonsense style.

Major Topics & Key Insights

The College Football Playoff Calendar Crisis

Segment Start: [03:19]

• CFP 2026-27 Dates Cause Uproar:

  • Pate reacts to the recently announced playoff calendar, which schedules quarterfinals on a Wednesday (Dec 30) and Friday (Jan 1), with semifinals on Jan 14-15 and the national title on Jan 25.
  • He points out the illogic and disruption to tradition:

    "Longtime fans of the sport, anybody who even knows how to spell the word tradition will be horrified..." [04:32]

  • Pate calculates how the extended schedule shifts the season’s halfway point:
    • 2026 season starts Sep 5, national title is Jan 25.
    • Week 11 (Nov 14) marks the mathematical midpoint—by then, many teams have already finished their seasons.

      "Week 11 is the halfway point mathematically of the season this upcoming year, which is off the wall insane..." [07:13]

• Why the CFP Is So Drawn Out:

  • Josh explains it’s not just about longer playoffs, but also the need to work around the NFL’s December broadcast dominance.

    "The elephant in the room is the NFL. The NFL owns a lot of the broadcast window and therefore a lot of the inventory and a lot of the landscape of December." [10:27]

  • Instead of collaborating with the NFL to plan a fan-centric calendar, college football administrators have failed to reach out.

    "College football needing all the help in the world...hasn't even seen fit to ask the NFL for help." [13:39]

  • Refers to Roger Goodell’s recent comment:

    "We'd be happy to help...but basically, they got to reach out to us...If college football needs our help, we'd be happy to do it...But they got to knock. College football hasn't knocked." [12:53] (paraphrased from press conference)

• Lack of Unified Leadership:

  • Pate criticizes the college football power structure for failing to address NIL, transfer rules, TV deals, and playoff schedule in a coordinated way.

    "They can't...enforce their own rules...figure out whether they're going to collectively bargain...get antitrust exemption from Congress...pull their own television deals..." [13:04]

National Signing Day Nostalgia

Segment Start: [16:46]

• The Decline of a College Football Pillar:

  • Pate mourns how the once-revered National Signing Day (first Wednesday in February) has faded due to the advent of early signing periods and NIL/transfer changes.

    "Signing day used to be a pillar in American society. It used to be an institution. It used to be really, really incredible. And now it's kind of an afterthought." [16:55]

• How Things ‘Used to Be’:

  • The “golden era” spanned mid-2000s to early 2010s, with fax machines humming, no NIL or early signing, high drama, and rumor-fueled message boards.

    "That was it for talent acquisition...by and large, the kids that you signed on National Signing Day...that was going to be the bulk majority of your roster three years down the road..." [19:07]

  • Recruiting was more personal and prideful—decisions based on culture and school legacy, not primarily money.

    "Even if money changed hands...it came down to that kid committing to the university...to that kid picking Ohio State because Ohio State's way of doing things...appealed to that kid." [20:34]

• Anecdotes & Signing Day Rituals:

  • Pate humorously recounts skipping work for Signing Day, laying out his scheme to convincingly call in sick:

    "You want to sneeze a couple of times in the morning...make sure the eyes look a little glossed over...say, 'I'll be fine' at least three times during the four to five o'clock hour..." [22:22] "Hey, Bob. Yeah, man, I'm not making it in today...I gotta get back in bed. I just can't do it today." [23:29]

  • Describes the thrill of following signing ceremonies, deciphering clues from hat choices and rumormongering on grainy livestreams.

    "You're just looking at the auditorium fill in and you're trying to read clues. Which hat looks the newest, which ones have the bent bill...Can we read anything into the attire that's being worn by his family members at the event?" [26:40]

  • The euphoria and agony of last-second flips, especially when message board insiders started buzzing.

    "Those were the best of times, ladies and gentlemen, because those were the times when you thought to yourself, anything could happen." [28:47]

  • References Travis Hunter’s 2021 shock decision as a rare modern echo of the old drama.

    "When Travis Hunter came out of high school...thought to be a formality to Florida State...And then you find out Shador Sanders is going to Jackson State with Deion Sanders. That was one of the biggest wrecking balls out of left field on signing day that I could remember." [30:10]

• Dreams of a Return:

  • Ends this segment with hope that the spirit of old Signing Day can return someday:

    "I still hold out hope that maybe there are some changes down the road that reinvent, reinvigorate the spirit of what signing day used to be. Again, I dream. We're allowed to do that around here. I dream." [32:19]

Gus Malzahn’s Retirement & His Legacy

Segment Start: [35:41]

• Surprise and Context:

  • Josh expresses surprise at the timing of Gus Malzahn’s retirement, especially after being the OC at Florida State.

    "Gus Malzahn, what do we think about Gus? This surprised me a little bit. Not the concept of it. It surprised me that it happened when it happened." [35:43]

• Malzahn’s Impact on the SEC:

  • Highlights Malzahn’s revolutionary fast-paced offense and its effect on opposing SEC defenses, recruiting, and officiating.

    "It's not the scheme. The scheme's not all that hard to figure out. It's that we don't have the players to defend it...and the tempo at which he runs the offense." [36:47, quoting defensive coaches] "Officiating crews lost control of the game to Gus Malzahn." [37:25]

• Comparing Auburn Coaches:

  • Pate argues Malzahn is likely the best Auburn head coach this century, outshining Tuberville given he “went heads up with Nick Saban” and had success in an even tougher SEC.

    "Is Gus Malzahn not the best coach Auburn's had this millennium?... Gus Malzahn competed in way more shark infested waters." [39:01]

Notable Quotes & Moments (Chronological)

• Tradition Upended:

  "We're going to play a quarterfinal game on December 30th. That is a Wednesday night quarterfinal game...The semifinals Jan. 14th and 15th, and…the national title game...January 25th."
  — Josh Pate [04:00]

• Season’s Midpoint Insanity:

  "Week 11 is the halfway point mathematically of the season this upcoming year, which is off the wall insane, just totally out in another galaxy insane."
  — Josh Pate [07:13]

• On College Football Leadership:

  "They can't...enforce their own rules...figure out whether they’re going to collectively bargain...get antitrust exemption from Congress...pull their own television deals..."
  — Josh Pate [13:04]

• Roger Goodell’s Offer:

  "We'd be happy to help...but basically, they got to reach out to us...If college football needs our help, we'd be happy to do it...But they got to knock. College football hasn't knocked."
  — (Roger Goodell paraphrased by Pate) [12:53]

• Signing Day as an Institution:

  "Signing day used to be a pillar in American society. It used to be an institution...now it's kind of an afterthought."
  — Josh Pate [16:55]

• On Nostalgia and Fan Rituals:

  "You want to...sell the idea that you're fighting through...drop the hints, man, I cannot wait to get home and get in bed...say I'll be fine at least three times..."
  — Josh Pate [22:22]

• Message Board Madness:

  "You're just working on a mountain of rumors and you can't substantiate any of it. It was so great and there were so many lies flying around..."
  — Josh Pate [25:32]

• On Gus Malzahn:

  "He was the offensive coordinator...no one remembers that. They just remember Cam Newton with good reason...the impact Gus Malzahn had in the SEC was such that it turned the SEC upside down."
  — Josh Pate [36:03]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:19] – Opening thoughts on CFP calendar disaster
• [07:13] – The mathematical midpoint insanity of the new season timeline
• [10:27] – The NFL’s broadcast dominance and its effect on college football
• [12:53] – Roger Goodell’s comments and college football’s lack of outreach
• [16:46] – Signing Day nostalgia and the ritual of fandom pre-NIL/Portal/Early Signing
• [22:22] – Josh’s comedic story on how to call in sick for Signing Day
• [26:40] – The clues and drama of old-school NSD coverage
• [30:10] – Travis Hunter’s signing day shock as a rare 21st-century throwback
• [35:41] – Gus Malzahn’s retirement and SEC legacy analysis
• [39:01] – Malzahn and Auburn head coaching context

Tone & Style

Josh Pate’s tone is candid, conversational, and tinged with dry humor, especially when recounting fan rituals and industry absurdity. He’s passionate and nostalgic without being saccharine, questioning the sport’s modern direction while conceding its perpetual change.

For Listeners New & Old

This episode spotlights how administrative decisions and TV forces are reshuffling college football’s soul, punctuated by Josh’s sincere longing for a time when Signing Day was a communal, rumor-packed, heart-racing event. It’s both a critique and a love letter—a guide to understanding why old fans sigh at new developments, and why college football, for all its warts, is still “built for the folks.”