CFB 2026 Schedule Draft + SEC QB Rankings
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What is the overall theme and structure of the 2026 college football schedule draft?
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Voila! Tuesday, August 11th, Year of Our Lord 2026. I did a heartfelt intro to the show that may or may not have gone out live. And if I repeated it, it would seem manufactured. So I'm not going to do that because it's just previewing what's in tonight's show anyway. But yeah, we're going to do the schedule draft tonight. Tons of camp intel. Some people have said some very, very... Not wrong things about me, but mean things about me. I've finally taken exception to it, had enough, and I will lash out as only I can in tonight's show. And I basically am going to do all that to put off the fact that we've got to do SEC quarterback rankings. My goal tonight, if I accomplish nothing else, is to stall SEC quarterback rankings 2026 as long as I can.
They are watching us in Denton, Texas. They're in Alexander City, Alabama. They're in Chicago, Illinois. Carlsbad, California. We will be in State College, Pennsylvania tomorrow. Going to see Matt Campbell and the guys? Going to see Rocco Becht and the guys? And we will tell you all about it Thursday. Probably have Matt Campbell on the show Thursday. That's what I'm told. That's what sources close to Penn State are telling me. So let's dive into the show tonight because we're really, really, really jam-packed. Hey, we're just happy to be on air at this point. The schedule this year is loaded. Some weeks more than others. And it's around this time every year that I try and look at the college football schedule and I try and say, forget about trying to map out our tour.
Forget about trying to predict scores. Let's just find what we think is the most big-time game every week. And if we had to draft this schedule this year, and you had to basically bring a buddy along and introduce them to college football, 2026 style, where would we want them each week? I think week one is sort of easy. I'm disappointed that college football allowed its calendar to set up week one the way it set it up. Now, look, we're diehards, man. We're P1. We're ride or die. So all of this matters to us. But I would love to see Week 1 more loaded than it is. Having said that, that game right there, Clemson at LSU, that seems pretty clear to me. I believe that's where game day is going. I believe that's the ABC primetime game.
There's some neutral site games in Week 1, which I am against just as a default position in life. Unless it's the Red River shootout. And maybe Georgia-Florida, except this year they don't play that in Jacksonville. So, yeah, I mean, it looks cool that Wisconsin's going to play Notre Dame. I don't think we should have it in Green Bay. That's not anything against the fine people of Green Bay. I just, I know both of those... Programs have really, really fine on-campus venues that will be dark that day. So I'm going, if I have to, pick one, to Clemson LSU week one. Week two is a little bit different. Week two, that's the week where we have two of these really, really big-time Big Ten versus SEC matchups. You've got OU at Michigan, Ohio State's at Texas.
There's some other games. It's kind of weird. Dan Lanning's going to spend an afternoon in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Words I don't think have come out of his mouth. or at least will not have until that point. But I think this has got to be Ohio State, Texas. But I'm not going to fault you, certainly if you circle Oklahoma, Michigan. Personal preference on the table, I think a lot of people may prefer Oklahoma, Michigan. We'll see where we go personally, but I think you've got to circle Ohio State, Texas there. That's possible one versus two. That's got all, as Meemaw would say, the hoopla around it. Week three. Another layup, probably if I were to poll 95% of the country, they'd land on Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi.
I think you've got to go LSU at Ole Miss. And I'm not sure if I told people you can't go to Ole Miss, where would they go? I think most people would land on maybe Lubbock, Texas on a Friday night. That's that game. that a lot of the folks there pushed back on, I think, Fox with because they didn't want to be playing Friday night college games in Texas.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the overall theme and structure of the 2026 college football schedule draft?
0:00–7:10
2
Which week‑1 games does the host consider the biggest matchups for a new fan?
7:10–10:27
3
What are the most exciting week‑2 Big Ten vs. SEC showdowns and why?
10:27–15:29
4
Why does the host label week‑4 as the most unbelievable SEC slate?
15:29–1:17:14
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from Josh Pate's College Football Show
CFP Prediction Game Debut + Camp Intel & Big Ten QB Rankings
CFP & Conference Title Picks + Brandon Walker Interview Reaction
AP Poll Predicted Rankings + Early Best Bets & Loaded Mailbag
CFB’s Biggest Questions + Why Rivalries Are Everything
Predicting 2026’s Wildest Headlines + Big Ten Coaching Rankings
SEC Head Coaches Ranked + Darkhorse Teams & Tornado Story