Josh Pate’s College Football Show – “Pate State Extra: SEC & Big Ten vs Common Sense”
Episode Date: March 4, 2026
Host: Josh Pate
Podcast Network: iHeartPodcasts
Episode Overview
This episode is a classic “Pate State Extra” mailbag, featuring Josh Pate’s candid answers to listener questions ranging from personal anecdotes to the state of college football governance, TV rights, NIL, and rivalries. True to the show’s mission of no “hot takes,” Josh offers thoughtful, sometimes humorous commentary on the SEC–Big Ten power struggle, centralized authority in college football, and the sport’s evolving moral fabric. He also shares personal stories—some light, others harrowing—that give a window into his life as both a fan and an industry insider.
Key Topics & Breakdown
1. A House Divided: The Spring vs. Fall Debate
[02:06 – 07:15]
- Josh opens with a lighthearted domestic dispute over the best season, stemming from his excitement about springtime in Nashville and his wife Savannah’s strong contrarian preference: she ranks spring dead last.
- Josh’s take: Spring and increasing daylight are “awesome.” He dislikes the early sunsets of winter due to Daylight Saving Time.
- Quote: “Spring is awesome. Even if there's no college football, spring is awesome. … Vampires don't even feel that way.” [04:53]
- Invites listeners to weigh in if they, too, prefer winter or dislike spring—he can’t quite believe such people exist.
2. Mailbag: “How Much to Give Up College Football Forever?”
[07:15 – 11:34]
- Listener Kyle asks: “How much money would it take for you to never watch college football again?”
- Josh insists there’s no amount of money he would accept to give up the sport he loves most (outside of faith and family).
- Quote: “You could make me the richest guy on the face of the earth … there’s really no price tag that can be put on that.” [08:30]
- Acknowledges life circumstances may force different decisions for others, but for him, the value is irreplaceable.
- Quote: “Surely if we have people who prefer winter over spring, then there's got to be at least some amongst us … that would trade college football never experiencing it again for X number of dollars.” [09:43]
3. Worst College Football Travel Story
[11:34 – 20:35]
- Listener Kelly prompts Josh’s epic retelling of a recent travel fiasco returning from Ames, Iowa.
- Mechanical breakdown: Weather delays force a multi-leg diversion (Des Moines → Atlanta → Columbus, GA → Dothan, AL), including turbulence so severe that Josh thought his plane might crash.
- Quote: “Most insane turbulence I’ve ever felt in my life. … Pure white knuckles everywhere. A ton of people were crying, a ton of people were screaming. I legit thought this actually could be it, this could be the one.” [17:10]
- After the flight is abandoned in Dothan (with the pilots leaving the plane), Josh secures a rental car and hotel, drives overnight to Nashville, and thanks the local Hertz staff (who recognized him) for saving his return.
4. The SEC & Big Ten Power Struggle: Pooling Media Rights & College Football’s “Nature Preserve”
[23:58 – 41:22]
- Listener Mike asks: “Why aren’t you speaking out more about the fight between the Big Two and everybody else?”
- Josh’s perspective:
- SEC & Big Ten hold overwhelming financial and structural power.
- Proposals to pool media rights (creating an NFL-style model) would spread revenue and support non-revenue sports, but SEC/Big Ten resist—often with “intellectually dishonest” arguments.
- Quote: “They keep giving these really, really intellectually dishonest counterpoints. … More times than not, if someone's providing faulty logic, it's because they don't have sound logic to back up their point.” [25:35]
- He supports some form of centralized governance for college football (a “commissioner’s office”), using a nature preserve analogy:
- Quote: “For my entire life, I’ve looked at college football sort of like a nature preserve … If you allow pure free market principles to run rampant … college football implodes in on itself as we know it.” [28:20]
- Pooling media rights would benefit fans with more diverse coverage and schedules, rather than incentivizing networks to favor only certain conferences:
- Quote: “…I just love it on the surface, selfishly, because of what it would do for me. … every one of those networks, the talent at those networks, the shows on those networks, they are motivated and incentivized to cover college football as a whole instead of covering a conference. That's how the NFL does it.” [36:48]
5. Storm Chasing Season
[41:22 – 43:54]
- Frankie asks about Josh’s excitement for storm chasing.
- Josh describes his immense enthusiasm (“more jacked than ever”) and the logistical balancing act it requires with his spring speaking events.
- Quote: “I couldn’t be more jacked if my life depended on it. I used to take pre-workout called Jack 3D. This is like Jack 16D.” [41:28]
- Shares a recent storm-chasing/college football scheduling tale involving private charter flights, coaches, and tornado threats.
6. On ‘Overhyping’ LSU and Texas
[43:54 – 51:30]
- Listener Sean accuses Josh of overhyping LSU and Texas.
- Josh provides his defense:
- Texas: High expectations are warranted (talent, recruiting, Arch Manning, transfer portal success); “it’s an all-in year.”
- LSU: Portal success, roster upgrades, quarterback play, and Lane Kiffin’s proven abilities justify Playoff consideration.
- Quote: “What I've said about LSU and Texas so far this year is Sark needs to win this year. … Is anything I've said so far untrue?” [44:25]
- Explains the challenge of preseason rankings using a coin analogy—sometimes the best odds still go bust, but the process is sound.
7. Handling Negativity and Hate
[47:39 – 53:14]
- Jessica asks how Josh deals with “haters.”
- Main strategy: Ignore almost all negativity, filter the feedback for genuine listeners, and don’t take online toxicity personally.
- Quote: “You’d be shocked at how therapeutic it is to just make what other people think about you none of your business.” [52:00]
- Emphasizes in-person interactions are overwhelmingly positive.
8. NIL & College Football Rivalries
[53:14 – 57:42]
- Tim asks: “Do you like NIL? If not, what’s the worst thing about it?”
- Josh’s view: He supports players earning money but laments the loss of rivalry purity now that athletes commonly transfer between archrivals for financial reasons.
- Quote: “What it's done to rivalries is just disgusting… There are certain parts of the societal fabric or parts of the sporting societal fabric that are supposed to be understood.” [54:44]
- Gives example of iconic plays by players who then transfer, which diminishes legacy and tradition.
Notable Quotes & Timestamps
- “Spring is awesome. Even if there's no college football, spring is awesome.” (Josh Pate, 04:53)
- “There’s really no price tag that can be put on [college football].” (Josh Pate, 08:30)
- “Most insane turbulence I’ve ever felt in my life … I legit thought this actually could be it.” (Josh Pate, 17:10)
- “For my entire life, I’ve looked at college football sort of like a nature preserve … If you allow pure free market principles to run rampant … college football implodes in on itself as we know it.” (Josh Pate, 28:20)
- “You’d be shocked at how therapeutic it is to just make what other people think about you none of your business.” (Josh Pate, 52:00)
- “What it's done to rivalries is just disgusting to me.” (Josh Pate, 54:44)
Episode Flow & Tone
- Language/Tone: Relatable, direct, often humorous, occasionally exasperated but always thoughtful. Josh Pate’s trademark is thoughtful honesty and a strong fan’s perspective blended with inside-baseball industry knowledge.
- Structure: Predominantly rapid-fire mailbag with anecdotal tangents; each response is well-developed and delivers industry and personal perspective.
In Summary
This episode of Pate State Extra is a tour-de-force in college football authenticity. Whether debating the ethics of conference power, lamenting the limits of NIL-fueled free agency, or recalling a pythonic travel day through the South, Josh Pate grounds even the thorniest topics in clear-eyed common sense—and a love for the game that no paycheck could ever outweigh. For those navigating the ever-shifting college football landscape, his wish remains clear: centralized, thoughtful authority that preserves the sport’s traditions, rivalries, and the magic that money can’t buy.