If you’re tired of seeing California and Stanford in an ‘Atlantic’ conference or USC and Oregon playing in the ‘Big Ten,’ Josh Pate already has a day-one executive order that basically hits the undo button on the last decade of chaos. In a hypothetical (or futuristic) world, where Josh Pate becomes a CFB commissioner, his first order of business would be to blow up the massive, coast-to-coast conferences we have now and replace them with smaller, regional ones that actually make sense for fans.

The first and the biggest condition in Pate’s world is a 10-team cap for every conference. This is the secret sauce because it forces a full round-robin schedule, which would be the second condition. Here, everybody plays everyone else in their league every single year, unlike what we see in the Big 10, where Indiana or Ohio State plays one or two legit teams (by chance) and 9 or 10 cupcakes week in and week out to secure their pretty much automated playoff spot.

By following this round robin schedule, there’s little to no possibility of “dodging” the top dog in your conference and also having a lucky schedule that paves an easy path all the way to the title. Most important of all, it keeps the math simple. Pate’s third condition is that teams will have nine conference games and one ‘power’ non-conference game to prove you’re a contender or pretender (Texas vs. Ohio State 2025, for example). And yes, a couple of cupcakes to round things out.

Pate’s vision brings back the ‘old school’ flavors by resurrecting legendary names like the Big 8, Southwest Conference (SWC), and a true PAC-10. For instance, the SWC would be a Texas-sized brawl with teams like Texas, Texas A&M, and TCU. And the Big 8 would reunite rivals like Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Colorado.

“I would just like to bring the entire Southwest Conference back,” Pate said. “I don’t need new logos either. The old artwork is fine. There’s nothing wrong with it. Texas and Texas Tech and SMU and Texas A&M… they’re all back. You’ll also notice that, in a gesture of probably good faith that’s not even deserved, I have brought Rice into the equation. We have room for food at the table in the Southwest Conference.”

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Even the Big East makes a comeback as a home for teams like Penn State, West Virginia, and Pitt, finally giving those Northeast and Mid-Atlantic programs their original regional identity back, which is the fourth main condition. Pate wants to preserve regionality and tradition. This would also pave the way for the Pac-10 to return to its West Coast roots with USC, UCLA, and Oregon.

The schedule even gets a handsome facelift to fix the clutter of today’s postseason. Pate wants to move the whole season up by one week so the regular season wraps up before Thanksgiving. This will lead to a revolutionary Thanksgiving weekend where all the conference championship games happen at once.

It also clears the runway for an expanded playoff where the early rounds are played on campus in early December or so. This also lets fans experience the playoff atmosphere in places like Norman or Eugene rather than a sterile NFL stadium.

Finally, the whole season would finish with a bang on New Year’s Day with the National Championship game. Once the confetti falls, the transfer portal and signing day will happen immediately after. If they do this somewhat properly, they can wrap everything up before the spring semester even starts.

It’s a common-sense approach that values the soul of the sport. The television media isn’t going to like this one, not one bit. No doubt, it’ll eventually grow on people. But it’s easier said than done, and it’s difficult to fathom the chances of it actually happening. Regardless, Pate’s plan is a fun one for sure.

Josh Pate lists four coaches on high alert

With conference realignment, Josh Pate also lists several head coaches who enter the 2026 season with a chip on their shoulder after heavy firings in 2025. He named four coaches who are at the most risk, and Mike Norvell topped his list. Florida State is waiting for a winning season after a 13-1 season in 2023 and to break its three-losing-season record.

“Mike Norvell’s got to lead the list,” Pate said. “When you’re talking about must-win, like got to get it done in 2026, Mike Norvell and Florida State have to be at the top of the list. It seems the most obvious.”

The only thing that is saving Norvell is his $58.7 million buyout. Then comes in South Carolina’s head coach Shane Beamer, who is coming off one of the worst seasons with a 4-8 record. However, let’s not forget he pushed the Gamecocks to a near playoff run in the 2024 season, but despite that, he holds a 33-30 overall record.

Then there’s Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell, who had a 4-8 finish last year. Even in the 2024 season, the team went 5-7 under him. The team is fighting for relevance under Fickell since their Guaranteed Rate Bowl victory in 2022, and one more losing season can put him in the hot seat.

Last but not least, it’s USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley, who is yet to take his team to the playoffs. One of his best seasons came back in 2022 when they went 11-3, but they lost the Pac-12 Championship Game, and they didn’t get selected for the playoffs. So, another losing season might take a dig at him.

So, let’s wait and see if Josh Pate’s “must-win” coaches make an impact this season or not.