“Josh Pate’s Revolutionary 6-Step Plan for an Ideal College Football Schedule”

College football scheduling? It’s a mess. The overlap of the College Football Playoff with the transfer portal window, awkward timing of rivalry games, and conference championships—they all create headaches.

Josh Pate thinks he’s got a fix. He’s rolled out a six-step plan to overhaul the schedule—and he’s not just patching holes. Pate wants a full 16-team playoff, a fresh calendar, and a season that feels more exciting for everyone. Let’s get into what he’s pitching.

Step 1: Moving the Season Start Date

Pate’s first move: start the season a week earlier than usual. He admits it’ll be hot—maybe uncomfortably so—but kicking off the Saturday before Labor Day opens up new options.

With this tweak, rivalry week lands before Thanksgiving. That sets up something pretty different for Thanksgiving weekend.

Benefits of an Early Start

By shifting everything up, the regular season wraps before Thanksgiving. Rivalry games like Ohio State vs. Michigan or the Iron Bowl get their own moment, away from the chaos of other big events.

Step 2: Thanksgiving Weekend Conference Championships

Pate wants conference championships to happen over Thanksgiving weekend. That means the SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and even the Group of Five get in on the action.

Maximizing Viewer Engagement

Thanksgiving weekend is already a football staple. Throwing championship games into the mix? That could make the holiday even more memorable for fans and families hanging out together.

Step 3: Introducing a 13th Game

For teams not in their conference title game, Pate proposes a 13th matchup. These would be branded as bowl games—think Citrus Bowl, Pop Tart Bowl, Cheez-It Bowl—and they’d count toward final playoff rankings.

Examples of Potential Matchups

• Pop Tart Bowl: Oregon vs. Houston
• Cheez-It Bowl: Ole Miss vs. Michigan
• Other Matchups: Texas A&M vs. Arizona, Oklahoma vs. USC, Texas vs. Utah, Notre Dame vs. Vanderbilt

These games give teams one last shot to impress—or stumble—before the playoff field is set.

Step 4: College Football Playoff Rankings and Seedings

To dodge NFL competition, Pate says the College Football Playoff rankings should drop at 9 a.m. ET on the Sunday after conference championships. It’s early, but it makes sense for visibility.

Strategic Timing

Announcing the rankings before NFL games kick off lets fans and media actually focus on college football for once. The discussion gets its own spotlight.

Step 5: On-Campus Playoff Rounds

Here’s a fun twist—two playoff rounds on campus. First round: first Saturday in December. Second round: the following Saturday. Then, the third round shifts to a neutral site the third Saturday in December.

Enhancing the Playoff Atmosphere

Home playoff games? That’s electric. Higher seeds get rewarded, fans pack the stands, and every play feels bigger.

Step 6: National Championship on New Year’s Day

The season ends with the national championship on New Year’s Day. There’s a short break for Christmas, so players aren’t running on fumes and fans can actually look forward to the finish.

Reviving a Tradition

New Year’s Day has always felt right for college football’s biggest game. Bringing the title game back to that date just feels… classic. It adds a bit of old-school magic to the new format.

Additional Considerations

Pate also wants to tighten up the schedule for signing day and the transfer portal. Wrapping these up quickly means everyone can breathe and reset before spring semester kicks off.

Uniformity in Game Count

Every team would play the same number of games to win it all. Even Notre Dame can’t dodge it. Pate is adamant: everyone, independents included, would need to play 17 games to be crowned champion. That’s real parity.

Conclusion

Josh Pate’s six-step plan for a better college football schedule is definitely ambitious. It’s not every day someone suggests shaking up tradition this much.

He wants to move the season start date and shift conference championships to Thanksgiving weekend. There’s also talk of adding a 13th game and rethinking when playoff rankings get announced.

On-campus playoff rounds? Sounds wild, but maybe it’s time for something new. And bringing back a New Year’s Day national championship—well, that’s got some serious nostalgia.

If you’re curious about the full breakdown, you can check out the original article on Yahoo Sports.