Podcast Summary: "Is the SEC on the Decline? | Thoughts on Lane Kiffin Situation with Cole Cubelic"

Podcast: Josh Pate's College Football Show
Date: January 7, 2026
Host: Josh Pate
Guest: Cole Cubelic
Episode Theme:
This episode dives deep into the current state of the SEC, challenging the popular narratives about the conference's decline, debates the relevance of bowl records and conference talent, examines cultural factors influencing team-building, and unpacks the ongoing coaching carousel with a spotlight on Lane Kiffin’s situation.

Episode Overview

Josh Pate and Cole Cubelic engage in a nuanced discussion surrounding the perception of the SEC's dominance, or supposed decline, in college football. They analytically deconstruct the overuse of bowl records in conference comparisons, explore shifting strategies in team building between the SEC and Big Ten, discuss the roles of experience versus pure talent, and debate the impact and future of coaching hires—particularly Lane Kiffin's move.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Is the SEC Really on the Decline?

(00:19–01:38)

• The hosts challenge the narrative that the SEC is "overrated" and dissect whether that label is fair compared to historic SEC dominance (e.g., Alabama, Georgia runs).
• Cole notes, "If you still have it at, I don't know, what, 2012, 13ish...then, yeah, it's going to be overrated compared to that because it's not as dominant as it was then." (00:30)
• The duo agrees the SEC still remains "the most difficult conference to play in," citing venues, fan engagement, and coaching prowess, but concede that the SEC has not "lapped the Big Ten" recently.

2. The Misplaced Value of Bowl Records

(01:38–04:36)

• Josh Pate dismisses the argument of using bowl records as a conference barometer:
  • "My stance on using bowl records to provide a definitive answer as to relative conference strength has always been that it's stupid. It's completely stupid." (01:55)
• He argues bowl records are further devalued by opt-outs, coaching changes, and the transfer portal.

3. Talent vs. Team Building Approaches

(04:36–09:56)

• Cole shares insights from discussions with coaches who have been in both the SEC and Big Ten.
• The Big Ten is praised for focusing more on cohesive team building, while the SEC’s focus is often on "talent acquisition at its peak."
• "The Big Ten is...building their programs and their teams a little bit more around team, where I do still think a lot of the SEC is just talent acquisition at its peak." (05:09)
• Differences in culture and expectations are highlighted—SEC fan bases are quick to call for firings if expectations aren’t met, while Big Ten teams value "lunch pail, hard hat guys" and role players.

4. Recruiting Hype and Regional Focus

(07:55–09:56)

• The Southeast is identified as the epicenter of recruiting hype, "the genesis of all this recruiting hype started in the Southeast." (09:05)
• The culture of obsessing over recruiting rankings is more entrenched in the SEC compared to other regions.

5. Experience Versus Raw Talent

(13:02–17:23)

• The hosts stress that experience can often surpass raw talent, particularly for teams seeking quick improvement.
• Cole: "Experience is something that I think becomes almost as valuable when you get, especially at this point in the season." (16:58)
• He shares anecdotes of players flourishing after years in the system and the limitations of relying solely on recruiting rankings as predictors of success.

6. The Impact of NIL and the Transfer Portal

(17:23–21:14)

• NIL and the transfer portal have helped equalize the playing field, weakening the SEC’s exclusive talent advantage.
• Josh: "The nil Portal era has obviously evened that out a little bit...The search for every margin, the search for every edge. The innovation by necessity that you have to have is greatly reduced when you just know we're going to load up a roster." (17:47)
• The SEC’s historical reliance on "buddy systems" and agency ties for staffing is called out as a vulnerability that's increasingly exposed.

7. Coaching Staff Assembly: Culture & Complacency

(21:14–22:53)

• SEC’s high salaries for assistant coaches promote an “incestuous” rotation among programs.
• Cole observes, "A lot of them usually come from other SEC schools. It makes it that more difficult at this point in time…to be able to go out there and get things." (22:11)
• The hosts agree there’s a “buddy system” at play, and expectations shape these hiring practices.

8. The 2026 SEC Coaching Carousel

(22:53–26:44)

• Analysis of new head coaches—Sumrall, Golesh, Silverfield, Lane Kiffin at LSU, and Pete Golding at Ole Miss.
• Cole on John Sumrall: "He can be good old country boy. He can be CEO. Let's talk about how to build a program. He could work anywhere." (23:31)
• Discussion acknowledges that some fired SEC coaches are still quality coaches, their firings a reflection of expectations rather than ability.

9. The Lane Kiffin Situation and Expectations

(27:07–29:03)

• Josh discusses whether Lane Kiffin will regret leaving Ole Miss for LSU.
• "If we continue on this trajectory...you could end up looking at the world of college football totally backwards." (28:13)
• Raises the possibility that “headache” jobs at traditional blue bloods might lose their luster if the resource gap disappears, and expectations prove unrelenting.

10. Evolving Player Perceptions and Team Building

(29:03–end)

• Cole argues that the difference in “inherent advantages” of traditional powers (e.g., Texas, Bama, USC, Ohio State) may be shrinking, as more players cycle through elite programs and realize the grass isn’t always greener.
• "It just doesn't seem like it's end all, be all. I have to be at one of these five or seven places or else we're not going to be good or I'm not going to be good." (29:47)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "The SEC is either the best in the country or it's not. But the bowl record is not the end all be all." — Josh Pate (01:44)
• "The Big Ten is...building their programs and their teams a little bit more around team where I do still think a lot of the SEC is just talent acquisition at its peak." — Cole Cubelic (05:09)
• "Experience is something that I think becomes almost as valuable when you get, especially at this point in the season." — Cole Cubelic (16:58)
• "The innovation by necessity that you have to have is greatly reduced when you just know we're going to load up a roster." — Josh Pate (17:47)
• "[Sumrall] could work anywhere. So he's going to work at Florida, in my opinion. Obviously, Lane has won. I think Lane will continue to win with the resources he has at LSU." — Cole Cubelic (23:31)
• "It just doesn't seem like it's end all, be all. I have to be at one of these five or seven places or else we're not going to be good or I'm not going to be good." — Cole Cubelic (29:47)

Key Segment Timestamps

• 00:19: SEC decline narrative—what's real, what's not
• 01:38: Why bowl records don’t define conference strength
• 04:36: Big Ten’s approach to roster building vs. SEC culture
• 09:56: The overlooked importance of experience
• 13:02: Experience vs. talent — how development trumps recruiting stars
• 17:23: NIL, portal, and the diminishing SEC talent gap
• 21:14: Inside the SEC assistant coach carousel
• 22:53: Fresh faces on SEC sidelines and the true measure of coaching success
• 27:07: The Lane Kiffin debate—regret, resources, and rising expectations
• 29:03: Are blue blood advantages fading?

Tone and Takeaways

The conversation is candid, insider-driven, and skeptical of surface-level narratives. Both Pate and Cubelic keep the discussion accessible yet nuanced, challenging hot takes with personal anecdotes, coaching intel, and pragmatic insight.

For listeners new to the episode:
You’ll emerge with a richer, more skeptical view of the current conference strength debates, the forces shaping the new college football order, and a sharper sense for why program culture, adaptability, and experience matter as much—if not more—than "blue-chip ratios" or historic prestige.