Josh Pate's College Football Show

Episode: Surprise Playoff Contenders + Winter Storm Survival & ESPN’s CFP Monopoly
Date: January 28, 2026
Host: Josh Pate (iHeartPodcasts / CBS Sports)

Episode Overview

In this fireside-style, all-mailbag episode, host Josh Pate fields listener questions from a temporary base in Columbus, Georgia, after fleeing a frozen Nashville. He discusses surprise College Football Playoff contenders under first-year coaches, playoff structure debates, tampering in the transfer portal, the impact of ESPN’s College Football Playoff monopoly, SEC scheduling, public speaking tips, and more. The show features Josh's direct, conversational style—rich with insight, humor, and honest opinion.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Emerging Playoff Contenders: First-Year Head Coaches

• Question: Which first-year head coach is best set up for a deep playoff run? ([03:24])
• Josh’s Picks:
  • Alex Golesh (Auburn):
    • Not well-known, but fits Auburn’s “spirit” and is “legit.”
    • “He will not be outworked... I think he knows the league very well.” (04:58)
    • Has a quarterback, Byrum Brown, from USF who already knows his system.
    • Auburn’s roster is underrated; losses not insurmountable.
  • Matt Campbell (Penn State):
    • Program not in crisis after James Franklin's departure.
    • "You get to bring over a chunk of your roster," including QB Rocco Becht from Iowa State, aiding culture and system adaptation.
    • "There are like 30 voices in the locker room above and beyond just the coaching staff that can kind of preach your message." (09:46)
• Other Mentions:
  • Lane Kiffin at LSU considered a different scenario as an established coach.

2. Commentary Dream Teams & Alt Casts

• Question: Who would you pair with if you could commentate with any all-time commentator? ([14:27])
• Josh’s Take:
  • Loved SEC Title Game alt cast with Will Compton, Taylor Lewan, Harry Douglas.
  • Dream: Interactive field alt cast with himself, Will, Taylor vs. Pat McAfee’s crew, “handing off” gameside commentary.
  • “If there was a day where Joe Tess just wasn't working somehow ... I would love Joe Tess to run point on one of those alt casts with me and Will and Taylor. That would be awesome.” (16:45)
  • Praises Jimbo Fisher’s game dissection skills: “It's amazing...they’re seeing it. It's like they've seen the next play already and they're kind of spoiler alerting you.” (18:59)

3. Playoff Auto-Bids & Conference Champion Debate

• Question: Opinion on Power Four conference champs getting auto-bids to the playoff? ([20:30])
• Key Points:
  • Josh supports auto-bids in principle, provided conferences have robust tiebreakers.
  • “If your tiebreaker structure is proper, then you’ll always have highly ranked teams playing in your conference championship games.” (22:10)
  • Gives example of 2025 Duke ACC Championship scenario as a “tiebreaker language” failure, not a real risk.
  • On Group of Five (G5) Champs: “Yes, I value a power four conference champion over a group of five conference champion... I do not believe winning a group of five conference should be an auto-bid into the playoff. Sue me. No, don't do that.” (24:41)
  • Also sees value in conference championships for college football’s ecosystem rather than pure meritocracy.

4. Tampering in the Transfer Portal

• Question: Can anyone force conference commissioners to crack down on tampering? (26:36)
• Discussion:
  • Coaches can set precedent by calling out tampering by name (Pat Narduzzi, Dabo Swinney examples).
  • Details the Dabo Swinney/Ole Miss/Pete Golding/Luke Forelli saga:
    • “Dabo had two choices: bite his tongue or go scorched earth and just call Pete and call Ole Miss out by name. All of this, I guess, is still alleged.” (27:17)
  • Tampering is widespread, authorities reluctant to enforce (“I have hope for a world one day where we're back to at least somewhat normalcy. We are not there right now” (30:19))
  • Gives credit to any coach willing to be publicly direct about it.

5. Public Speaking Advice

• Question: How did you develop your public speaking skills? ([32:30])
• Josh’s Advice:
  • Grew up with a “crippling fear of public speaking,” overcame it by reframing speeches as a series of one-on-one conversations.
  • “Really, at the core, a fear of public speaking is just fear of perception...what risk is there to you based on what someone thinks?” (33:55)
  • Emphasizes devaluing others’ perceptions and breaking down large audience into individuals.

6. Georgia’s “Fall Off”: Reality vs. Perception

• Question: Should Georgia fans worry about a “fall off” after two playoff losses? ([36:16])
• Analysis:
  • Technical fallback from 2021 peak is “inevitable” given college football’s changed era, but:
    • “I think Georgia is going to be just fine.” (38:50)
    • The challenge is sustaining a high “cruising altitude,” not always winning it all.
  • Defensive coordinator turnover (Glenn Schumann) not seen as existential threat.

7. ESPN’s Playoff Monopoly—Good or Bad?

• Question: Is ESPN's exclusive hold on the Playoff a net negative? ([39:56])
• Take:
  • Ideally, every network should have access to promote the playoff (like the NFL model).
  • “It’s in the best interest for as many seats to be at the College Football Playoff table as possible...a net positive for the promotion of the sport.” (42:02)
  • Doesn’t blame ESPN for dominating; places onus on CBS, Fox, NBC for not being more aggressive.

8. Humor: Hair Debates and Motivation

• Question: Who has better hair, Josh or producer Jesse? ([43:45])
• Josh’s Playful Rant:
  • Claims victory due to comfort, time, and money savings with shaved head.
  • “Do you know what my yearly budget for hair care is? Zero. I bought a buzzer three years ago.” (44:38)
  • “If the hair doesn’t have a functional purpose, the hair might as well not exist to me.” (45:38)

9. LSU, Lane Kiffin, and Program Ceilings

• Question: Is it “undeniable” why Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss for LSU—and what’s LSU’s floor/ceiling in 2026? ([46:26])
• Insight:
  • Lane left for personal reasons and access to LSU resources; it’s “undeniable” if it was simply his preference.
  • On expectations: “He [Lane] could crush it at LSU. All I'm saying is if he does, he will have enhanced himself...doing things that, as of this point, he hasn't done, and that is winning a ton of big games.” (48:12)
  • Pushes back on being taken out of context by message boards regarding skepticism about Lane’s proven record in big games.

10. SEC’s Move to a 9-Game Schedule: Did They "Play Themselves"?

• Question: Did the SEC hurt its own playoff odds by adding a 9th conference game? ([50:33])
• Analysis:
  • It may cost the league some playoff spots since selection still heavily weighs win-loss record over schedule strength.
  • “It could just be one of those instances where what's in the greater interest of college football may cost you a playoff team every now and then.” (52:15)
  • “I've never been about that...an eight-game SEC schedule in the past have been tougher than many nine-game league schedules elsewhere.” (53:13)
  • Ultimately supports the move for better “inventory” and signals thanks to the SEC office for keeping expansion at bay, at least for now.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On tampering:
  “It's so laughable when you're in the middle of December and every other call you're getting...is about the ongoing process of recruiting in the portal and you're ignorant enough to say, 'Hold on, the portal doesn't even open until January.' And they just kind of chuckle like, 'Yeah, sure it doesn't.'” (30:02)

• On public speaking:
  “It’s just a bunch of one on one conversations. It’s just people. That’s all it is. When I said it that way to myself, it got really easy.” (34:56)

• On playoff structure:
  “I value a power four conference champion over a group of five conference champion. That's not me saying I don't think the G5 should have a seat at the playoff table. I am saying I do not believe winning a group of five conference should be an auto-bid into the playoff. Sue me. No, don't do that.” (24:41)

• On SEC’s ninth conference game:
  “The weaker your conference is, the easier and more manageable your ninth conference game is going to be. So I've never been about that.” (53:13)

• On hair care (humor):
  “Do you know what my yearly budget for hair care is? Zero... The joke’s on them. I wouldn’t change it if I could.” (44:38)

Timestamps to Important Segments

• Surprise Playoff Contenders (First-Year Head Coaches): 03:24 – 10:49
• Commentary Dream Teams/Alt Casts: 14:27 – 19:23
• Playoff Structure & Auto-Bids Debate: 20:30 – 26:36
• Tampering & Dabo Swinney's Public Call-Out: 26:36 – 32:30
• Public Speaking Advice: 32:30 – 36:16
• Georgia’s Outlook & “Fall Off”: 36:16 – 39:56
• ESPN’s Monopoly on Playoff: 39:56 – 43:45
• Hair Care Humor: 43:45 – 46:26
• Lane Kiffin at LSU & Program Outlook: 46:26 – 50:33
• SEC 9-Game Schedule Debate: 50:33 – 56:10

Tone & Style

Josh’s approach is conversational, witty, and occasionally tongue-in-cheek, blending passionate defense of tradition and honesty about college football’s evolving landscape with lighthearted banter, notably on personal questions. His respect for listener questions and his refusal to stoop to “hot takes” or low-effort content remains clear throughout.

For New Listeners

This episode exemplifies the show’s mix of inside knowledge, nuanced analysis, tradition-minded but modern commentary, and humor. It’s particularly strong for those with questions about the playoff direction, transfer portal ethics, or who want a “no filter” fielding of community questions.