Josh Pate On Lane Kiffin, USC vs. Oregon, Arch Manning, Power Rankings

Summary of Josh Pate On Lane Kiffin, USC vs. Oregon, Arch Manning, Power Rankings

by iHeartPodcasts and The Volume

33m•September 23, 2026
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Overview of Josh Pate On Lane Kiffin, USC vs. Oregon, Arch Manning, Power Rankings

Josh Pate joins Colin Cowherd to break down the current college football landscape, with a heavy focus on scheduling, coach evaluation, team physicality, quarterback pressure, and how the sport has changed in the NIL/transfer-portal era. The conversation centers on Lane Kiffin’s rise, USC vs. Oregon, Arch Manning’s development, Ohio State’s No. 1 status, and why programs like Oklahoma, Colorado, and Notre Dame are being viewed so differently this season.

Major Takeaways

College football scheduling should be more like the NFL

Pate argues that scheduling is too important to be left to individual schools or even conferences in today’s revenue-driven era.

  • He believes schools shouldn’t get to self-select weak schedules when media rights money is so massive.
  • He supports the idea of major conference games and rematches being played early in the season.
  • He thinks the common excuse that teams need a bigger playoff before scheduling tougher nonconference games is outdated and weak.
  • In his view, the playoff committee should better reward strength of record, but teams still need to “step up” regardless.

Lane Kiffin is one of the best coaches in college football

Pate strongly backs Kiffin as an elite coach and says his success at Ole Miss is historically significant.

  • Kiffin’s style works especially well in the South, where the trolling, swagger, and tribal energy fit the culture.
  • Pate says you shouldn’t judge Kiffin only by national titles.
  • He compares Kiffin to coaches like Bill Parcells, Urban Meyer, and even great non-title-winning stars in other sports.
  • At Ole Miss, Kiffin has done more than any coach in the program’s history.
  • The real question now is whether he can keep producing at that level without the “disadvantaged program” excuse.

USC vs. Oregon comes down to physicality and turnovers

Pate and Cowherd spend a lot of time on the USC-Oregon matchup, with Pate saying the game could reveal a lot about both programs.

  • Joel Klatt’s point resonated: in college football, teams build toughness in practice, not preseason games or joint practices like the NFL.
  • USC’s offensive style may be more vulnerable to physical Big Ten defenses over time.
  • Pate is more concerned about Oregon’s ability to prove itself on the road than USC’s offensive identity.
  • He likes Oregon’s overall roster more, but he has a real belief in USC in this specific game.
  • The key USC question is whether quarterback turnovers reappear in a big spot.
  • Gary Patterson’s arrival on defense is seen as a huge move for USC because it could make them “good enough” on that side.

Arch Manning still has not fully proven himself

Pate is not ready to declare Arch Manning a finished product or a sure thing.

  • He says he has not played well enough yet.
  • He notes that Manning has had clean pockets and enough support, so the excuses are limited.
  • The Tennessee road game is viewed as a major test.
  • Pate points out that Manning’s comeback against Ohio State happened only after Texas essentially abandoned its normal offensive structure.
  • He sees that style as unsustainable in the long run.
  • The standard for Manning now is whether he can win in a hostile environment against a quality defense like Tennessee’s.

Ohio State is No. 1, but with some skepticism

Pate’s power rankings put Ohio State at No. 1, but he admits it’s a soft No. 1.

  • He uses neutral-field ranking logic.
  • He likes Ohio State’s overall talent, coaching, and ability to peak late.
  • But he still has questions about short-yardage offense, road performance, and how the Buckeyes will respond to a tougher schedule.
  • He notes that once a team already has a loss, there is less room for error in the playoff race.

Team and Program Spotlights

Notre Dame is hard to judge until Miami

Pate thinks Notre Dame’s defense is excellent, but the offense and overall value are still hard to fully evaluate because of the schedule.

  • He expects Notre Dame to roll through many opponents before Miami.
  • He sees the defense as championship-caliber.
  • Quarterbacks like C.J. Carr may not get enough “carry-the-team” reps before the postseason.

Oklahoma and the Lincoln Riley/Brett Venables split

Pate says the post-Riley and post-Venables reality is revealing.

  • Lincoln Riley’s offensive brilliance remains, but his teams still raise questions about culture and defense.
  • Brent Venables has brought intensity, recruiting, and defensive structure, but the offense remains a mess.
  • Pate thinks both programs are largely what people expected them to become.
  • He views this as a classic example of “brain drain” when elite coordinators leave.

Deion Sanders and the new reality of roster cuts

Pate sees Colorado’s reported cuts as a sign of where college football is headed.

  • With NIL and player pay, accountability is changing.
  • He says you can’t keep calling players “kids” if they are being paid like employees.
  • He isn’t surprised by Deion Sanders taking a hard line.
  • He credits Deion for taking a public stance instead of just complaining.
  • In his view, this is the natural next step in the sport’s evolution.

Notable Philosophy and Quotes

On being at the center of college football

Pate says he’s grateful to be where he is because the modern media landscape made his career possible.

  • He sees himself as lucky to have come along in the era of podcasts, YouTube, and digital distribution.
  • He says he’s doing exactly what he always wanted to do: be at the center of college football conversation.

On execution vs. information

The conversation briefly circles around the idea that access to information is no longer the advantage.

  • The real edge now is execution.
  • That theme fits Pate’s broader view of football: teams, coaches, and programs are judged by what they actually do, not just what they know or say.

Power Rankings Mentioned

Pate’s top 10 as discussed in the interview:

  1. Ohio State
  2. Georgia
  3. Texas
  4. Notre Dame
  5. Ole Miss
  6. Miami
  7. LSU
  8. Indiana
  9. Alabama
  10. Oregon

Bottom Line

This episode is a sharp college football conversation that treats the sport like a constantly changing ecosystem. Pate’s core message: elite talent matters, but so do execution, roster development, physicality, and how well a program adapts to the portal/NIL era. His strongest opinions: Lane Kiffin is severely underrated, Arch Manning still has work to do, USC-Oregon is a revealing test, and Ohio State deserves No. 1 status even if it’s not a spotless case.