The Irish Tribune Sits Down With Josh Pate Ahead of Notre Dame vs. Miami
The Irish Tribune sat down with ESPN's Josh Pate this Friday to discuss the upcoming renewal of the coveted "Catholics vs Convicts" Rivalry. Pate reflected on his time in South Bend and the mystique and magic of Our Lady's Campus. Finally, Pate detailed some changes he'd make to the College Football Playoff format.
Josh Pate's inaugural game at Notre Dame Stadium was when the Fighting Irish took on the Georgia Bulldogs in 2017. Pate had been working at a local news outlet in Columbus, Georgia. The outlet had very minimal funding but somehow gained a pair of credentials for the marquee matchup. They drove over 780 miles one way during the straight-shot journey from South Bend to Columbus. Pate would also drive the eleven hours and thirty minutes back to Columbus following the game, in which Notre Dame suffered a heart-wrenching 20-19 defeat at the hands of the Bulldogs.
"When you walk around this campus, or even at Notre Dame Stadium, there's not a ton of advertising in your face all the time... (Notre Dame) won't sacrifice the integrity and pristine nature of the image here."
More recently, Pate was here for what he considers the "best pound-for-pound College Football setting" when the Irish took on the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2023. "The sky was blue, the temperature was crisp, and it was everything I could ever want in a college football game," Pate recalls. Just as fate would have it, the Irish would also come up short after missing a player during the goal-line stand as they lost 17-14 to the Buckeyes.
When asked about whether the CFB Playoff Committee was biased against Notre Dame, Pate responded, "If I was a Notre Dame fan, I would feel that way." Pate had expected the Irish to be 8th or 9th in the playoff rankings, which was obviously lower than the 11th seeding Notre Dame received this past Tuesday during the first ranking showcase. "The problem with the playoff process is that you don't really ever get to see behind the curtain," Pate reasons. "I'm a proponent of having all that stuff publicized- full transparency." Pate would also change the size of conferences and take them back to regional-based, along with keeping the playoffs away from being 24 teams.
Pate will watch as No. 11 Notre Dame takes on No. 1 Miami this Saturday in South Bend at 7:30 EST. The Irish faithful are inspired and hyped up as College Gameday visits the campus. The matchup will certainly have heavy playoff implications and will only add to the drama and lore behind the Irish/Hurricane rivalry.
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