Podcast Summary: Pate State Extra – Rankings Debates & Shocking Results

Host: Josh Pate
Podcast: Josh Pate’s College Football Show (iHeartPodcasts)
Date: February 25, 2026
Episode Focus: Answering listener Q&As on preseason rankings, Saban’s hypothetical in modern CFB, the “banned” GameDay saga, stadiums, shocking outcomes from last season, and life in independent college football media.

Main Theme / Purpose

Josh Pate returns with "Pate State Extra," reviving his original Q&A-driven format. This episode is a mailbag deep-dive, with Josh tackling thought-provoking fan questions covering the merits (and pitfalls) of preseason rankings, Nick Saban’s legacy in the age of NIL and the portal, behind-the-scenes tales (specifically his show’s "ban" from College GameDay), his favorite Big Ten stadiums, the most surprising results of the last season, and the realities of running an independent college football show.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Value (and Danger) of Preseason Rankings

[02:19–10:56]

• Fan Question: Are preseason rankings useless or even damaging?
• Josh’s Stance:
  • Strongly in favor of preseason rankings:
    • "I love preseason rankings. I heavily traffic in them…It makes June and July and August go by faster." ([03:00])
    • These rankings are about entertainment, debate, and mapping possible outcomes—not gospel truth.
  • Pushback on “harm” narrative:
    • He acknowledges concerns: early rankings can prevent surging teams from ascending quickly, and top-of-the-preseason teams benefit from lingering inertia.
    • Emphasizes his adaptability: "You got to be willing to have wild fluctuations in your rankings in the first few weeks of the season because it stands to reason 4/4 of actual football should be worth more to you than five months of opinion building." ([07:50])
  • Criticizes rigidity in mainstream polls (e.g., AP’s reluctance to drop “name” teams after losses).
  • If rankings were gone, he believes CFB discourse would suffer: preview mags would be empty; fans and writers crave comparative analysis.

2. Would Saban Still Dominate Today?

[13:36–20:30]

• Fan Question: Would Nick Saban win big in this era of CFP and NIL/portal, if he hadn’t retired a few years back?
• Josh’s Insight:
  • "He would not win to the degree that he won. No one will." ([14:30])
    • Even Saban’s final seasons at Alabama saw margin-of-victory erode; more close wins, less dominance.
    • Credits Saban’s timing: "He was extremely tactical in how he exited stage left… towards the end of Nick Saban's run… you started to see some hints of the impact of [the new era]." ([14:40])
    • Under NIL/portal chaos, top teams can remain near the top, but gaps shrink: "You wouldn't have a bunch of 35 to 3 at halftime in conference play. You just wouldn't have that anymore." ([17:30])
  • Wonders how much Saban would push to reform the system if still active.
  • Draws parallels to Kirby Smart and Georgia: winning, but less dominant; small margins separate the elite.

3. The "Pate State" Signs Banned from College GameDay

[20:30–26:21]

• Fan Question: Were you really ‘banned’ from GameDay?
• The Story:
  • "I personally didn't get banned from College GameDay…I would be honored to…but our brand (Pate State) kind of, sort of did." ([21:00])
  • Grassroots movement: Fans would make Pate State signs and flood GameDay shots as guerrilla marketing ("They would go to Game Day and they'd camp out…with our insignia or our brand, my name, our logo.")
  • ESPN GameDay staff, after weeks of increasing Pate State signage visibility, confiscated the signs: "One guy even had his sign taken away…he watched the sign police take it and throw it in a pile. And he took a picture of the pile—there were a bunch of Pate State posters…like common street trash." ([23:30])
  • Josh: "Was I happy about it? Kinda, yes, because it meant at least we're on someone's radar." ([24:00])
  • Eventually issued a ceasefire himself; all in good fun.

4. Favorite Big Ten Stadiums (from the Sidelines & the Fan Lens)

[26:21–35:36]

• Favorites:
  • Penn State: Epic atmosphere, though a full-day commitment due to logistics.
  • Oregon: Super loud, unique architecture, easy access from the field.
  • Washington: "Washington has everything I could want... insane environment, insane views. It looks like a screensaver up there. Just go, everything’s gorgeous. Everything’s 10 of 10." ([28:39])
  • Michigan: Historic and grand; notes the trek for warmth or bathrooms in cold weather.
  • Ohio State: "I love amenities, but I love for them to look like they were built in 1638. I hate new looking college football stadiums. I'm very weird about that." ([29:56])
  • Rose Bowl (UCLA): He loves it, but recognizes as media he avoids the fan bottlenecks and less comfortable amenities.
  • Recognizes he still needs to get to Wisconsin and Iowa for a game.
• Memorable Moment: Josh likens field access to "burns the glutes, burns the quads" when running up tunnels—adds levity.

5. Did Josh Ever Want to be a Weatherman?

[35:36–39:02]

• Yes—as a kid, he idolized Weather Channel hosts as much as ESPN personalities.
• Eventually felt the job would get repetitive during certain seasons; "Whereas if I cover sports, there's something happening all year."
• Quick aside to make a point about how today's world offers multiple paths for any career interest.

6. The Biggest Shocks of the 2025 Season

[41:42–47:30]

• Indiana winning the national title: Unprecedented, but not the most shocking to Josh since they had showed promise.
• Penn State’s collapse & Franklin’s firing:
  • "The way Penn State’s season went last year may be more shocking to me than the way Indiana’s season went."
  • He details preseason expectations (floor of 10–2), the collapse beginning with losses to Oregon and UCLA, then unraveling with Northwestern.
  • Toxic environment emerges, Franklin surprisingly fired before Halloween—“especially if you told me there’s going to be no scandal.”
  • "Maybe the closer you get to the Penn State program...the ice was thin enough...if you really punched hard, you could fall through it." ([43:45])
  • The aftermath: Franklin to Virginia Tech; Matt Campbell to Penn State; wild, unpredictable CFB drama.

7. Independence from Corporate Ownership

[47:30–52:15]

• Fan Question: “Is there any sacrifice you make for being owned by corporate media?”
• Josh’s Response:
  • "Nobody owns anything related to our show…we own 101% of it…We don’t talk about anything we don’t want to talk about…when we whiff, it’s just because we whiffed." ([48:00])
  • Describes previous time at CBS—positive experience, but always wary of changes in leadership.
  • Notes the trade-offs: Corporate backing provides immense resources (marketing, bookings, travel). "It's not all bad. There's good, and then there's fear, more so than there's just good and bad." ([51:21])

8. Coaching Power Rankings Feedback (Ryan Day vs. Kirby Smart vs. Kurt Signetti)

[52:15–End]

• Josh had Ryan Day #1, Kirby Smart #2, Kurt Signetti #3.
• Fans objected to Ryan Day over Kirby.
• His rationale: Factor in not just results, but talent acquisition, culture, predictive outlook. Margins are razor-thin: "It's fractions of inches here and there."
• "You could shake up that order and pour it out in any order. I don’t really care."
• Even among elite head coaches, it’s tight (comparing to a three-horse photo finish).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Fun with Preseason Rankings:

  "What do we think we’re doing in the preseason? ... Having fun, trying to maybe loosely map out how I see things happening. And it’s important to note, when I rank teams, I’m not predicting how I think they’re going to end."
  (Josh Pate, [05:40])

• On Saban’s decline and context:

  "They went from winning dominantly to just winning competitively. Now that was, I think, an early indication that some of the impacts [of NIL/portal] were being felt there."
  (Josh Pate, [16:25])

• GameDay Ban Irony:

  "Was I happy about it? Kinda, yes, because it meant at least we’re on someone’s radar."
  (Josh Pate, [24:00])

• Favorite CFB Environments:

  "Washington—everything’s 10 of 10. Someone needs to tell Jedd Fisch I said this, by the way."
  (Josh Pate, [30:10])

• On the corporate vs. independent trade-off:

  "If the show was owned by corporate media, there would be sacrifices…But I’m happy to report…nobody owns any of it. We own all of it…When we whiff, it’s just because we whiffed; it’s not because someone else made us do something."
  (Josh Pate, [48:00])

• CFB’s appeal:

  "The most boring college football season in the history of the world was still way more fascinating than most pro sports seasons could ever be. To me, that’s at least the way I look at it."
  (Josh Pate, [47:20])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:19] – Kicking off with mailbag, format explanation
• [03:00] – Why Josh loves preseason rankings
• [07:50] – Making the case for wild early-season ranking swings
• [13:36] – CFB without Saban: Would he win big now?
• [20:30] – The “banning” of Pate State from College GameDay
• [26:21] – Favorite Big Ten stadium experiences
• [35:36] – Josh’s childhood dream of being a weatherman
• [41:42] – Most shocking results of the 2025 season
• [47:30] – Running an independent CFB show; corporate vs. ownership
• [52:15] – Coaching power ranking debates

Tone & Language

• Candid, informal, storytelling—Josh is conversational and self-effacing, using real anecdotes and "inside baseball" references.
• Quick to emphasize transparency with fans; stress on fun, unpredictability, and the communal spirit of college football.

Conclusion

This episode serves as both an entertaining tour of Josh Pate’s CFB worldview and a showcase for his fan-centric, grounded analysis. Whether debating the value of preseason rankings, dissecting coaching legacies, reliving guerrilla marketing exploits, or reminiscing about the Weather Channel, Josh’s voice remains passionate, honest, and refreshingly unfiltered. If you love CFB’s quirks—or just want some behind-the-scenes color—this is a must-listen.