Josh Pate used his show to clarify what he actually said about Notre Dame on Colin Cowherd’s show, and it was the opposite of a takedown. Pate said he’d “probably pick them to win the SEC right now,” called the Irish “an extremely good team,” and added that Notre Dame “may have the best team in the country” and could “play for a national championship and win it this year.”
Pate’s bigger point was that he doesn’t buy the idea that Notre Dame’s softer schedule should be used against the team itself. He compared that argument to the old Clemson debates, saying the schedule “has nothing to do with the fact that they may have the best team in the country.” He also said Marcus Freeman has taken the program past what he thought was Brian Kelly’s ceiling, and that he’s never felt better about Notre Dame’s five-year outlook than he does right now.
- Pate said he was “honestly surprised” Notre Dame looks “noticeably better than the Brian Kelly Notre Dame.”
- He gave Freeman and the administration credit, saying Notre Dame has bent enough on admissions and academic structure to make the job more attractive.
- Pate pointed to the market, too: Notre Dame’s win total sits at 11.5, and he said a neutral-site Texas-Notre Dame line today would be pick’em.
- He said people are “mistakenly” looking at the Irish schedule and discounting a roster he believes can “stand up against any schedule in the country.”
- Pate called the 2026-2031 window the best he can remember for Notre Dame’s future in his adult lifetime.
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