Josh Pate’s Post-Spring Top 20 caught some attention on X this week. With a better idea of how teams look ahead of this Fall, the host of ‘Josh Pate’s College Football Show’ for CBS Sports posted his list on Monday, and the comments were ready to argue with him.
Josh Pate Leaves Georgia and Michigan Outside Top 10 in Post-Spring Top 20 Rankings
It’s May, so this is the time of year for these debates. It’s a time when everyone is still going off of projections because we are still months away from actual games being played. These lists aim to start conversations, and commenters are never afraid to accuse the list curator of trying to create clickbait.
Post-spring top 20 if I had to rank them right now pic.twitter.com/BEMWCS5Hsv
— Josh Pate (@JoshPateCFB) May 12, 2025
We’ll likely never know if a list is intended to incite a reaction, but we can evaluate whether we think the rankings are valid or missing the mark.
When it comes to Pate’s list, there do appear to be some snubs worth discussing. Two of the three schools with the best odds to win the national title this season aren’t even in his top five. Ohio State at +450 is ranked 8th on his list, and Georgia +650 is ranked 11th.
On the other hand, Pate’s highest-ranked team, Clemson, has odds ranging from +1400 to +2000. Meanwhile, Michigan has odds ranging from +2200 to +2800, and Pate ranks them 19th. Betting odds are not the end-all be-all, but his list does not align with current betting odds, which may have led to some of the reaction on X.
It is worth noting that Pate wants college football fans to know that these are his rankings, which are not the same as power ratings.
If we look at the offseasons for these programs, only two of his top five schools had a top-ten recruiting class according to ESPN, LSU and Texas. According to 247 Sports, only LSU posted a top-ten transfer portal class.
KEEP READING: 2025 Way-Too-Early College Football Top 25 Power Rankings
Again, these are just preseason rankings and don’t guarantee wins or losses. Still, when the number one team on your list isn’t ranked top-ten for either of these lists and they aren’t in the top-five for betting odds, that will draw some attention.
This is the time of the year for healthy college football debates. Teams’ rosters are rounding into shape, and dedicated fans nationwide are optimistic about their 2025 outlook. In the end, Pate’s might be incredibly accurate, or he might be insanely wrong. Regardless, we’ll soon get to see it all play out and we all look forward to that.
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