Podcast Summary: The Right Time with Bomani Jones

Episode: Pat Forde on College football's Playoff Crossroads, Notre Dame's frustrations, Private Equity Problems

Release Date: December 10, 2025
Host: Bomani Jones
Guest: Pat Forde (SI.com)

Episode Overview

Bomani Jones is joined by longtime college sports journalist Pat Forde to dissect a season of high drama in college football. They tackle the controversies and consequences of the expanded College Football Playoff, Notre Dame’s institutional ego and bowl snub, the historical malaise of Miami and the ACC, big-time transitions at Ole Miss, and the disruptive impact of private equity investment in college athletics—notably at Utah. The conversation is both insightful and comedic, balancing serious critique of systemic issues with trademark sharp wit.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The College Football Playoff: The Inclusiveness Dilemma

(01:05–07:35)

• Small Schools in the Playoff:

  • Bomani and Pat discuss whether Group of Five schools like James Madison and Tulane deserve a playoff spot.
  • Pat supports inclusion:

    “I’m a bit of a populist in this and I have always loved that element...that it is an all comers tournament and you do get your chance..." (02:55 – Pat Forde)

  • Bomani questions whether it’s fair, given the frequent blowouts, but notes even Power 5 teams sometimes fare poorly:

    "Are we forgetting...last year in the first round...the big boys who played road games got their asses kicked the exact way James Madison is probably going to?" (04:12 – Bomani Jones)

• Playoff as an Unforgiving Structure:

  • The gap between teams ranked 5–12 is massive, and the home field advantage only widens that.

• James Madison Success Story:

  • The school’s resilience after losing coach and players to Indiana is lauded:

    “James Madison’s one of the ultimate success stories...They are not without players, that's for sure." (06:10 – Pat Forde)

• Dan Lanning at Oregon:

  • They joke about Lanning’s intensity and his apparent commitment to staying at Oregon:

    "Phil Knight’s helping him realize that...he has a personal contract...almost untouchable in the job market." (07:35 – Pat Forde)

2. Notre Dame’s Playoff Snub & Character

(08:03–18:37)

• Notre Dame’s Exclusion:

  • Bomani frames Notre Dame's playoff exclusion as another example of the program’s outsized self-regard.
  • Bemused by their refusal to play in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, he riffs on their entitled history:

    “Notre Dame a bad one, right? … Notre Dame ain't been what Notre Dame was in a very long time. But in her mind, Notre Dame is still that bad one.” (11:15 – Bomani Jones)

• Institutional Exceptionalism:

  • Pat acknowledges their long-standing independence and special treatment:

    “They are accustomed to a great deal of sucking up and fawning and preferential treatment and...they’ve earned it.” (14:07 – Pat Forde)

• Playoff Committee Critique:

  • Pat rips into the convoluted process and TV-driven politics:

    "...their ridiculously arcane, convoluted protocol kept them from comparing them head to head until the last minute.” (08:52 – Pat Forde)

• ACC–Notre Dame Drama:

  • Discussion on the “irreparable damage” claim by Notre Dame’s AD and broader ACC dysfunction.
  • On the drama:

    “That was an interesting phrase...that’s like legal phrasing, like, we’re setting up to sue your ass here.” (17:19 – Pat Forde)

3. The ACC Power Problem & Miami’s Faded Glory

(18:37–24:28)

• Miami's Unrealized Potential:

  • The hosts reflect on the ACC’s long-standing hope that Miami would raise the conference’s football profile—and their lasting disappointment:

    “It is amazing that they got Miami just when it all went away.” (19:26 – Bomani Jones)
    "The timing couldn't...ended up, couldn't have been worse, you know, for Miami to just fade off..." (19:26 – Pat Forde)

• Miami's Fall from Grace:

  • Recounting the iconic ESPN 30 for 30 “The U,” and how Miami’s legacy has faded from living memory.

• Coach Era Anecdotes:

  • Storytime about Larry Coker’s lucky start at Miami and how Butch Davis’s career shifted with his untimely departure.

4. Coaching Carousel & Ole Miss Soap Opera

(24:28–32:16)

• Ole Miss Coaching Chaos:

  • Lane Kiffin’s high-drama exit to LSU, defensive coordinator Pete Golding’s promotion, and the bizarre dynamic as former offensive staffers return to coach Ole Miss through the playoff.
  • Bomani calls out the inconsistency:

    “If it was inappropriate for Lane to stay...doesn't the same hold for all of his guys who just quit on you, too?" (27:30 – Bomani Jones)

• Staff Dynamics and Player Trust:

  • The reunion feels awkward and fraught with tension, with drama predicted on and off the field.

5. Indiana’s Historic Upset

(32:16–36:41)

• Indiana’s Meteoric Rise:

  • Bomani and Pat marvel at Indiana’s leap to being the country’s #1 team in football, calling it the “most amazing thing” in college football Pat’s seen:

    “It is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen in college football. And I have been covering the sport since, like, 1990...” (32:59 – Pat Forde)

• Coach Kurt Signetti’s Personality & Fit:

  • Signetti is compared to a non-toxic Bobby Knight—brash, confident, a perfect cultural fit for Indiana.
  • Pat:

    “He is the spiritual successor to Bob Knight without choking anybody.” (34:43 – Pat Forde)

6. The Private Equity Invasion

(36:41–53:22)

• Utah Takes PE Money:

  • Discussion on Utah accepting $500 million from a private equity firm—what it means for competitive balance and the existential risks to college athletics as a whole.

  • Bomani:

    “Show me the thing that private equity has ever made better.” (36:41 – Bomani Jones)

  • Pat worries this will reshape not just budgets, but the very culture:

    “Private equity...they’re not there just to hang around...They want to make money. And a lot of their ideas are not going to be the same as college sports now.” (38:20 – Pat Forde)

• Comparison to BYU and Local Rivalry Dynamics:

  • The move is viewed as a reaction to BYU’s different “official” money streams.

• The Risk to Non-Revenue & Olympic Sports:

  • Pat, as father of an Olympic swimmer, highlights private equity as a real existential threat for smaller sports:

    “If the sole goal is profit, not just revenue, but profit, as you pointed out, then you're saying, why the hell do we have a soccer team...that’s where there will be a tension point.” (48:03 – Pat Forde)

• The Booster Problem:

  • Transitioning boosters from voluntary donors to profit-seeking investors could destabilize finances and relationships:

    "When these dudes are just throwing money at programs, they just triggin’, right? When they have a share on it now they're pimping." (50:41 – Bomani Jones)

  • Risk of donor fatigue and excessive interference by investors instead of boosters.

• Illustrative Anecdote:

  “Private equity is shitting on everybody's porch every time they crank out a number.” (43:14 – Bomani Jones)

7. Endnotes and Final Banter

• Troy Aikman’s NIL Complaint:

  • Pat and Bomani joke about Troy Aikman’s public frustration with NIL donations and kids not even sending thank-you cards.

    “Which is the most old man thing Troy Aikman could have said. And he said he's never doing it again.” (52:32 – Bomani Jones)

• Closing:

  • Bomani thanks Pat Forde, mentions his Olympic swimmer daughter’s success, and teases upcoming sports coverage.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Bomani on Notre Dame’s entitlement:

  “Notre Dame a bad one, right?... A bad one is a bad one forever and will always see herself as a bad one.” (11:15)

• Pat on playoff inclusion:

  “People love the Cinderellas in basketball and football, they hate them. They don’t even like the concept. They want all the big brands.” (02:55)

• Bomani on the purpose of college football:

  "Alabama’s the only school playing for a national championship every year. Everybody else is just kind of in this for vibes." (46:18)

• Pat on the challenge of private equity:

  "It is like grabbing somebody from Kazakhstan and trying to explain why...an athletic department is organized the way it is." (43:15)

• Bomani on private equity’s effect on booster culture:

  “When they have a share on it now they're pimping, right?” (50:41)

Key Timestamps

• [02:55] — Pat on the value of playoff inclusivity
• [11:15] — Bomani on Notre Dame’s “bad one” syndrome
• [19:26] — The missed promise of Miami in the ACC
• [27:30] — Bomani on Ole Miss's post-Kiffin coaching scramble
• [32:59] — Pat on Indiana’s historic season
• [36:41] — Discussion on Utah’s private equity deal
• [43:14] — Bomani’s metaphor: “Private equity is shitting on everybody’s porch”
• [48:03] — Pat on Olympic sports risk
• [50:41] — Bomani on boosters becoming investors
• [52:32] — Troy Aikman’s old man NIL complaint

The Tone

Lively, witty, and smart. Bomani and Pat are irreverent but deeply insightful, blending inside-journalism perspective with cultural critique and sharp humor. The show manages to make complex college sports politics both accessible and laugh-out-loud funny.

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode tackles the seismic tensions and shifting dynamics at the heart of college football’s postseason, the institutional ego of Notre Dame, decades of conference realignment folly, the coming chaos of private equity in amateur sports, and many of the most compelling narrative threads in the game this year. With vivid analogies and unsparing candor, it’s essential listening for anyone trying to understand not just this season, but the future of college athletics.