Josh Pate's College Football Show

Episode: Full CFP Reaction + Conference Title Takeaways & Penn State Hires Campbell
Date: December 7, 2025

Main Theme / Purpose

Josh Pate delivers a packed episode with in-depth reactions to the just-released College Football Playoff rankings, conference championship game takeaways (especially from the SEC and Big Ten), first-look playoff matchup analysis, and Penn State’s hiring of Matt Campbell. The show dives into bewildering playoff committee logic, playoff format criticisms, the rationale for team selections, and big-picture questions about the direction of college football.

Breakdown of Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Unprecedented College Football Playoff (CFP) Selection Drama

Timestamp: 02:02–15:19

• The ACC Doomsday Scenario

  • The playoff committee faced the possibility of having no ACC representation due to Duke’s unique position, leading to convoluted tiebreakers (“the Alphabet soup tiebreaker in the ACC”—03:10).
  • Miami secured a spot “at the 11th hour over Notre Dame,” which Josh agrees was the right outcome but questions the process and messaging.

• Notre Dame’s Exclusion

  • Notre Dame left out for not being in a conference—a first real “punishment” for their independence.
  • Josh respects ND’s independence but notes: “If you ever want to hold out hope that they’ll ever become more motivated [to join a conference], you need to hope they have to pay a price in the form of losing a playoff spot” (11:09).
  • Committee’s justification for Miami over ND leaned on head-to-head, but only applied inconsistently and belatedly.

• SEC/Alabama/Georgia Logic

  • Despite Alabama’s loss to Georgia, Pate argues their playoff standing was secure: “The SEC championship is worth a whole lot of money. The SEC, as a league, runs and dictates a lot of this sport” (04:41).
  • “The punishment for losing [the SEC championship] is you will have had to play five postseason games…The risk was never you’re going to drop out for playing in a game that other people didn’t earn the right to play in” (07:36).

2. Playoff Matchups, Scheduling, and Spreads

Timestamp: 09:59–11:09; 66:11–76:14

• First round matchups and odds:

  • Alabama at Oklahoma: “Alabama opens as a one and a half point favorite at Oklahoma.” (08:55, 09:59)
  • Miami at Texas A&M: “A&M is a five and a half point favorite…there’s three to three and a half points of home field baked in.” (09:34)
  • Tulane at Ole Miss: “17.5 point dog” (08:48)
  • James Madison at Oregon: “21.5 point favorite” (08:52)

• Game times:

  • “Friday, December 19th, 8:00pm Eastern Alabama at Oklahoma…Saturday, December 20th, noon: Miami at A&M. Mid-afternoon: Tulane at Ole Miss. Primetime: James Madison at Oregon.” (10:24)

• Critique of G5 inclusion:

  • “It’s a joke. It’s an utter disgrace…Notre Dame could make a run …they’re out for a team that’s a three-plus touchdown underdog in Eugene.” (20:24)

3. Playoff Committee Criticisms & Format Flaws

Timestamp: 11:09–20:24

• Weekly rankings shows add to confusion and drama:

  • “They knee-jerked early on…forced to course correct…weekly rankings reveal shows serve a negative purpose.” (13:54)
  • Calls for either more transparency in the deliberation process or only releasing rankings on Selection Sunday.

• No “right or wrong”—just subjectivity and rooting interests:

  • “95% of the opinions I’ve heard…haven’t been based on principled stance. They’ve just been based on rooting interest, which I’m okay with.” (15:19)

• On changes to come:

  • Pate suggests, “Shouldn’t you have to be top 15? Shouldn’t you have to be top 20?” as a baseline for playoff eligibility with G5s, predicting changes are likely. (19:53)

4. Conference Title Game Takeaways

A. SEC Championship: Georgia Dominates Alabama

Timestamp: 34:21–46:50

• Culture and Character Over Talent:

  • “A lot of skill in stacking the great players…they count on [their process] being a filtration part of the recruiting process.” (35:59)
  • “Georgia’s competitive character is unmatched in the SEC. You could argue Ohio State nationally, and that’s about the only one…”

• Game Recap:

  • Georgia suffocated Alabama with defense and field position: “Georgia’s average starting field position was their 40-yard line. Alabama’s was their 18.” (38:57)
  • “Every Alabama drive feels like a tightrope walk.” (42:14)
  • Health is a storyline, but both teams banged up; depth and culture the separators.

• SEC’s Leverage:

  • “The SEC was not going to allow [committee snub of its title game teams] to happen. Kirby made a good point…we just played our ninth league game. That’s just what we’re going to voluntarily enter ourselves into.” (44:29)

B. Big Ten Championship: Indiana Stuns Ohio State

Timestamp: 56:49–66:11

• Defensive Masterclass:

  • Indiana wins 13–10 with season lows for Ohio State in points and rushing yards.
  • “Bryant Haynes locked up the Broyles award…holds Ohio State to a season low in points. Five sacks, nine tackles for loss.” (59:10)

• Ohio State’s Conservative Play:

  • “Ohio State played like Meemaw used to drive…they played like they had some time to kill.” (60:44)
  • Offensive inefficiency in red zone despite loaded talent.

• Kurt Signetti’s Legacy:

  • “Signetti’s ruined it for a lot of guys…If Kurt Signetti can walk into Indiana in year one and do what he did…no one gets to ask for patience anymore.” (62:46)
  • “He’s on Mount Rushmore of college football…Who says no?”

5. Deep Dive: CFP Structural Issues

Timestamp: 76:14–80:43

• G5 teams in the Playoff—Fundamental Misalignment
  • “College Football pretends like 136 teams are playing the same sport. It’s so obvious they’re not.”
  • Advocates for a dedicated G5 playoff: “With all this money floating around…a G5 playoff would sell and sell big.” (80:43)
  • Relegation and promotion ideas floated; wants a fairer, more logical system for all 130-plus programs.

6. Notable News: Penn State Hires Matt Campbell

Timestamp: 86:23–93:53

• Pate’s Endorsement:

  • “This should have been the first call they made…football people will universally praise Matt Campbell. The NFL heavily respects him.”

• Campbell’s Loyalty & Culture-Building:

  • Explanation in Campbell’s own words (audio clip at 91:04):
    • “I want to be able to lay roots and build something different and something that’s really special, that can stand for something.” — Matt Campbell [91:04]

• Josh on Perfect Fit:

  • “He won’t have to get up there and pretend he has it…Some people have to pretend that they fit at Penn State. He won’t have to pretend.”

• Campbell’s Prior Offers & Reputation:

  • Has turned down Tennessee, FSU, NFL, USC in recent years.
  • “If you’re the head coach at Texas and you’re the head coach at Iowa State, you live in two different worlds.”

• Gratitude & Optimism for Both Programs:

  • “So, yes, yes, I could have handled that optics-wise a lot better from the Iowa State side…That’s the last thing I want to do. So now: pull for Matt Campbell at Penn State…we regroup and now we get behind the new staff at Iowa State.” (93:54)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On playoff opinions:
  “I don’t have a problem with folks coming at me. It’s just…come at me and just say I disagree for the sake of disagreement. I’m just flat out rooting for Alabama to get in and I hope they get in. I’d respect that.” — Josh Pate [15:19]

• On conference championship meaning:
  “What you’re not going to have is you’re not going to have several members of your conference…sit at home and watch the number one overall seed from that league risk lack of playoff inclusion for playing in a reward game. That was just never going to happen.” — Josh Pate [06:38]

• On G5 inclusion in playoff:
  “Even the most die hard of G5 Cinderella supporters out there understand from a pure principled standpoint this makes no sense.” — Josh Pate [20:24]

• On Kurt Signetti’s impact:
  “He’s on Mount Rushmore of college football…Who says no?” — Josh Pate [66:11]

• On Matt Campbell:
  “He’s one of the best culture builders in college football. Anyone who’s been around it, anyone who’s played against it will attest to it. He’s got sort of a magnetic quality, and his programs take on this magnetic quality…” — Josh Pate [92:04]

• Matt Campbell’s “why not leave Iowa State” perspective:
  “I want to be able to lay roots and build something different and something that’s really special, that can stand for something.” — Matt Campbell [91:04]

Key Timestamps for Reference

• Podcast Main Content Start: 02:02
• ACC Doomsday & CFP Outrage: 03:21–11:09
• Notre Dame & Committee Messaging: 11:09–15:19
• Subjectivity of Playoff Selection: 15:19–20:24
• Conference Title Analysis (SEC): 34:21–46:50
• Big Ten Championship Analysis: 56:49–66:11
• Upcoming Playoff Matchups: 66:11–76:14
• G5 Playoff Argument: 76:14–80:43
• Matt Campbell to Penn State: 86:23–93:54

Flow & Tone

• The episode is dense, energetic, and driven by tough love for college football.
• Josh Pate’s tone is passionate yet pragmatic, often inviting listeners to see the rationale behind controversial decisions and institutional quirks, but not shying from blunt criticism.
• The show weaves in humor (“Georgia’s competitive character is unmatched in the SEC. You could argue Ohio State nationally, and that’s about the only one…” [35:29]), relatable metaphors (“Ohio State played like Meemaw used to drive” [60:44]), and personal engagement with current events and listener sentiments.

Summary for Listeners

If you missed the episode, you’ll get:

• A granular, honest reaction to playoff selections and conference championship fallout—expect no sugarcoating for the committee or pseudo-fairy-tale G5 narratives.
• Context for the outrage, logic gaps, and likely future fixes in playoff structure.
• Detailed analysis of how/why teams got in or were left out (with special focus on the Miami vs. Notre Dame and Alabama vs. Georgia decisions).
• A clear-eyed look ahead at first-round playoff matchups and why some of them are, by design, hopeless mismatches.
• Explainer on Penn State’s coaching hire—why Matt Campbell was always the logical choice and what his track record really means.
• Consistency, candor, and college football wisdom with zero hot-take noise.

For the real or aspiring college football intellect—this episode is required listening.