Josh Pate defends the CFP logic separating Alabama and Tennessee

His rankings reaction draws an unusually large audience, while viewers question whether head-to-head results are being applied consistently.

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Josh Pate's College Football Show Story of November 12, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 309,051 views a day, 6.4 times a normal first day on this channel (48,560).

CFP Rankings Reaction...WHAT Are We Doing? - Josh Pate's College Football Show

Things we can learn from the video

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0:00Pate argues that the committee is giving the Big 12 substantial respect in its rankings.
2:13He defends the grouping logic placing Alabama above Tennessee, while saying Tennessee can still move ahead.
6:06Indiana's opponents losing weakened its résumé, Pate argues, even though Indiana had an off week.
7:59UCLA's opponents helped strengthen its résumé, offering the reverse example of Indiana's predicament.
10:30Pate identifies Missouri as the lowest-ranked team he believes still has a realistic playoff chance.
15:15Baylor's remaining games against ranked opponents give it opportunities to disrupt the playoff picture.

Alabama sits above Tennessee, but Josh Pate isn't treating that order as a final verdict. In his College Football Playoff rankings reaction, he defends the committee's grouping logic while arguing that Tennessee still has a route past Alabama.

That distinction has brought a much busier conversation than usual to Josh Pate's College Football Show. The upload drew roughly 310,000 views in its first day, more than six times its usual start. Comments arrived at eleven times the normal first-day pace.

Pate's broader argument is that a team's résumé can change even when it doesn't take the field. Indiana's fall during an off week is his clearest example: losses by teams it previously beat weakened the value of those wins. UCLA, he argues, benefited from the opposite effect as its opponents' performances strengthened its case.

"Just because you don't play a game does not mean your resume doesn't change," Pate says.

Viewers are testing that reasoning against particular results. Several ask why Tennessee's win over Alabama doesn't settle their order. Others point to Ohio State's quarterback availability, questioning whether Indiana's loss should be reassessed based on a different version of its opponent.

Beyond those disputes, Pate identifies Baylor as a potential disruptor: its remaining schedule offers a run of ranked opponents, giving it opportunities to scramble other teams' playoff plans.

Published on Trari

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What viewers say

Don’t get how you can say Indiana’s only loss to Ohio state is devalued because of their recent losses. They lost to them when they had their starting qb. They’ve lost without him. Does that just magically not matter?
@colemax4041See it on YouTube
Ohio state was a completely different team when they played Indiana than they are today. Ohio state cannot be both a great win for Oregon because it’s mighty Ohio state and somehow an embarrassing loss for Indiana because it’s Ohio state in a down year.
@nicelydressedgiraffeSee it on YouTube
If LSU is not a good win for Tennessee, then it can't be for Alabama.
@nevergiveupnevergivein7655See it on YouTube

2 more comments

Taking full body of work into account not just one head to head is what I see
@CTJTUTSee it on YouTube
USC vs UCLA in the last Big Ten Championship, a week after playing each other, in Indianapolis would be hilarious
@RMills1985See it on YouTube

Public comments from the video's page on YouTube