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USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Josh Pate isn't sleeping on Oklahoma's John Mateer
Josh Pate isn't sleeping on Oklahoma's John Mateer The Oklahoma Sooners made a major upgrade at starting quarterback this winter. With former starter Jackson Arnold off to play for the Auburn Tigers, OU had a hole to fill under center. Not only did they fill it, they did so with a player, John Mateer, who is better than any QB the Sooners had on the roster a year ago. In fact, Mateer was the transfer portal's top overall player this year. Oklahoma beat out Miami and North Carolina to land the former Washington State star. After OU was atrocious offensively in 2024, Mateer's arrival gives the Sooners a chance to rebound back to their winning ways in 2025. At least that's what Josh Pate, the host of "Josh Pate's College Football Show", thinks. Because of familiarity with his play-caller and the help of players from multiple top-ten recruiting classes over the past few years, he has Mateer right alongside the best quarterbacks in the entire SEC. "I'm putting John Mateer in the top five," Pate said. "If I'm right, Oklahoma's gonna be a contender in the SEC. I believe in the OC-quarterback approach, bringing both of them in, not just one of them, especially when they're both qualified, and Ben Arbuckle and John Mateer are. I also think it greatly helps that John Mateer is not being brought into Norman, Oklahoma, and then being looked at by everyone down on their knees with their hands clasped praying, 'Please save us John, save us.' No, you don't need to save anyone. You need to go in there and play solid football and execute, make good decisions, because you know what you've got around you? You've got a top-ten roster around you. You've got a really good defense. You don't have to score 42 a game to win, and you've got guys calling plays for you that you're very familiar with. I think he's gonna be really good this year. That's why I've got Oklahoma top ten in the preseason." Sooner Nation has long clamored for complementary football in Norman. For years, OU fans had to watch incredible offenses, led by Heisman Trophy-level quarterbacks, be ultimately let down by bad defenses. The trio of Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Jalen Hurts combined for four College Football Playoff appearances in five seasons from 2015 to 2019, and it was the inability to get stops on defense that, for the most part, sunk those excellent Oklahoma teams in the semifinal round each time. When Brent Venables took over for Lincoln Riley, the hope was that he could change that. In the years since, Venables has built up a defense that looks like it can compete in the SEC. But, just as the defense was getting really good in 2024, Oklahoma's offense fell off a cliff with Seth Littrell and Jackson Arnold at the helm. Complementary football eluded OU yet again. With plenty of returning starters, the Oklahoma defense looks like it has the pieces to be good again. On the other side of the ball, the Arbuckle-Mateer combination hopes to finally bring high-level play on both offense and defense, at the same time, to Norman in 2025. Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @Aaron_Gelvin.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lincoln Riley and USC not lacking in confidence despite recent records
The vibe around USC football this offseason has certainly been an interesting one. On one hand, with new general manager Chad Bowden at the helm, the Trojans are dominating on the recruiting trail, and currently hold the No. 1 class in the country for the 2026 cycle. On the other hand, however, USC has a record of just 14-11 over the past two seasons, which is far from what the expectation was when Lincoln Riley was hired. Last month, college football analyst Josh Pate of CBS Sports paid a visit to Los Angeles and spent some time with Riley and Bowden. During his visit, Pate took note of the confidence around the program. Advertisement "If you walked in that building right now, but you didn't know what the record had been last year, you would think they're coming off a playoff appearance," Pate said on a recent episode of his popular Josh Pate's College Football Show. "You would think that they are regularly expected to compete for the national championship. "And that's because they do expect that. But it's not baseless . . . they just believe in the moves they've made. "They walk around like they've already ordered something, and they know it's arriving in the mail tomorrow. They have that kind of confidence . . . the vibe was that of a place where the internal feeling is so totally detached from the outside world." USC fans are certainly excited about the moves that the Trojans have made this offseason. At the end of the day, however, that only does so much if the team is not winning on the field. After consecutive seasons of five or more losses, USC fans are expecting significant improvement from the Trojans in 2025. This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Lincoln Riley and USC football are trying to turn the page in 2025
USA Today
12-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Josh Pate's top 20 college football teams for 2025
Josh Pate's top 20 college football teams for 2025 College football has reached the post-spring rankings part of the offseason schedule, with spring ball completed in April. The Oklahoma Sooners have received some offseason buzz from ESPN and college football analysts like Joel Klatt. On the surface, that might be surprising to some, with the Sooners coming off of a 6-7 season. However, with what they've done in the transfer portal and how they've recruited, Oklahoma looks primed for a significant bounce-back season in 2025. Count Josh Pate among those who are encouraged by what the Sooners have done this offseason. On his show, the Josh Pate College Football Show, Pate put the Oklahoma Sooners at No. 10 in his early rankings for the 2025 season. He believes that the Sooners will have a top 15-20 defense and that the offense will return to respectability. But Pate's belief in the Sooners comes primarily from his belief in Ben Arbuckle and John Mateer. ...probably I think is the most overlooked of the major conference teams heading into the summer is Oklahoma. Apparently, I'm higher on Oklahoma than anybody is. I think it could be a top 10 team coming into the season, not one of those wait and see sort of things because I believe in the OC (Ben Arbuckle)- QB (John Mateer) addition that much. I believe in Mateer and Arbuckle and their addition to that team. That I look around last year, guys. If they were on that team last year I would think they would have competed and contended. - Pate, Josh Pate College Football Show But along with the offensive coordinator and quarterback additions, Pate recognizes that the Sooners need their offensive line to be much better than last year. If that's the case, Oklahoma will be a playoff contender in 2025. Here's a look at Pate's top 20. This makes a lot of sense. Clemson brings back one of the top quarterbacks in college football, and they're coming off of a playoff berth. If Cade Klubnik can build off of his fantastic 2024 season and the Tigers figure out their defense, they'll be a playoff 2. Texas Longhorns I mean, I guess someone has to be in the top five. Arch Manning hysteria will rival The Beatles when it's all said and done. 3. Penn State Nittany Lions Another one that makes sense here. Drew Allar is back after a strong 2024 season. The question on everyone's mind is, can James Franklin win the big one? Alabama has to figure out its quarterback situation. Kalen DeBoer is a good coach, and he's got his protege Ryan Grubb as the offensive coordinator, and they've got a really good roster. If they've got a QB, they're a threat. LSU would likely be ranked higher if Brian Kelly had more postseason success. Garrett Nussmeier is one of a few legit preseason Heisman contenders. LSU is going to be a lot of fun to watch. 6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish Can the Notre Dame Fighting Irish overcome the loss of Riley Leonard, who was instrumental in leading Notre Dame to the College Football Playoff national championship? 7. Oregon Ducks Oregon had a great season and then ran into a buzzsaw that was the Ohio State Buckeyes in the postseason. Replacing Dillon Gabriel with Dante Moore may create a step back offensively, but Dan Lanning has the defense trending in the right direction. 8. Ohio State Buckeyes Ryan Day fought off the hot seat talk after the Michigan loss with an epic run to the national title. Now, they're turning over a huge part of their championship roster. A step back feels like a closer reality than a contending season. 9. Florida Gators The Florida Gators rallied over the second half of the season to finish 8-4, save Billy Napier's job, and usher in the D.J. Lagway era. If they can manage a brutal schedule and get to 10 wins, nobody will want to play the Gators in the playoffs. 10. Oklahoma Sooners I'm optimistic about the Oklahoma Sooners in 2025, but I also want to see them prove it on the field before I'd be comfortable with them as a top-10 team. Beat Michigan, Auburn, and Texas in the first half of the season, and then we can talk. If there's a team outside the top 10 that deserves to be inside it, it's the Georgia Bulldogs. Kirby Smart has earned that respect. They're also the defending SEC champions. 12. Miami Hurricanes Carson Beck's move to Miami gave the Hurricanes one of the top quarterbacks in college football to follow the would-be No. 1 overall draft pick, Cam Ward. Can Beck be the difference at The U? 13. Arizona State Sun Devils Sam Leavitt returns, but no Cam Skattebo to lean on. But with Jordyn Tyson healthy, the offense should be able to air it out once again. 14. Texas A&M Aggies Texas A&M will put a good defense on the field, but can Marcell Reed elevate his game to the next level and evolve as a passer? 15. Illinois Fighting Illini Illinois' only losses in 2024 were to No. 9 Penn State, No. 1 Oregon, and an eight-point loss to a scrappy Minnesota team. They beat South Carolina in the bowl game and brought back an experienced group led by quarterback Luke Altmeyer. It's another tough schedule for the Illini in 2025, with road games to Nebraska, Oregon, and Penn State and a home affair with Michigan. 16. Ole Miss Rebels The Ole Miss Rebels lost eight players to the NFL draft, including five in the top 77 picks. They're turning over their quarterback and key leaders on defense. If Austin Simmons can hit the ground running and find a go-to wide receiver to replace Tre Harris, they'll be good offensively. But they lost a lot. Haynes King provided Georgia Tech with a passing element to their triple-option offense and combined for 25 total touchdowns last season. Georgia Tech has an uphill climb in the ACC, but with an experienced QB, could be a dark horse in the conference title race. 18. South Carolina Gamecocks Pate is notably lower on South Carolina than most. It probably has a lot to do with the talent the Gamecocks lost on defense. Gone are Nick Emmanwori, Kyle Kennard, Demetrius Knight, T.J. Sanders, and Tonka Hemingway, players who were stars for the South Carolina defense and went in the first four rounds of the NFL Draft. 19. Michigan Wolverines Week two at Oklahoma will be quite the baptism by fire for true freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood. Facing a Brent Venables defense in just your second collegiate start and on the road in Norman won't make for a comfortable start to his collegiate career. 20. Texas Tech Red Raiders Big fan of Behren Morton's game and Texas Tech has made some noise in the name, image, and likeness game in just about every sport. Will that be enough for the Red Raiders to win the Big 12 and make the playoff? Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.
USA Today
07-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Lincoln Riley and USC not lacking in confidence despite recent records
Lincoln Riley and USC not lacking in confidence despite recent records Lincoln Riley is trying to project confidence. We will see if the optimistic tone is backed up by results. The vibe around USC football this offseason has certainly been an interesting one. On one hand, with new general manager Chad Bowden at the helm, the Trojans are dominating on the recruiting trail, and currently hold the No. 1 class in the country for the 2026 cycle. On the other hand, however, USC has a record of just 14-11 over the past two seasons, which is far from what the expectation was when Lincoln Riley was hired. Last month, college football analyst Josh Pate of CBS Sports paid a visit to Los Angeles and spent some time with Riley and Bowden. During his visit, Pate took note of the confidence around the program. "If you walked in that building right now, but you didn't know what the record had been last year, you would think they're coming off a playoff appearance," Pate said on a recent episode of his popular Josh Pate's College Football Show. "You would think that they are regularly expected to compete for the national championship. "And that's because they do expect that. But it's not baseless . . . they just believe in the moves they've made. "They walk around like they've already ordered something, and they know it's arriving in the mail tomorrow. They have that kind of confidence . . . the vibe was that of a place where the internal feeling is so totally detached from the outside world." USC fans are certainly excited about the moves that the Trojans have made this offseason. At the end of the day, however, that only does so much if the team is not winning on the field. After consecutive seasons of five or more losses, USC fans are expecting significant improvement from the Trojans in 2025.
USA Today
30-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Josh Pate circles early season matchup on Oklahoma's schedule
Josh Pate circles early season matchup on Oklahoma's schedule The Oklahoma Sooners didn't get to enjoy many high points in a six-win 2024 season. However, one of the undoubted highlights of the season was a 27-21 comeback win over the Auburn Tigers on the road at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Behind true freshman backup quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. and an incredible fourth-quarter pick-six by linebacker Kip Lewis, OU stormed back from a 21-10 deficit to win their first-ever Southeastern Conference game. The Tigers make the return trip to Norman this year in Week 4. It's the SEC opener for the Sooners, part of the gateway to a daunting league slate. Josh Pate, who hosts "Josh Pate's College Football Show", believes that the Oklahoma-Auburn matchup is a crucial one for both teams in the early portion of the season, because of how deep the conference is. "Let's go to Auburn at Oklahoma in Week 4 because it is a huge game," Pate said. "Auburn at Oklahoma features the No. 10 and the No. 11 teams in the SEC odds right now ... But here's what's funny about that: No. 10 and No. 11 in the SEC makes it sound like those teams are going to be terrible. But get this, they're 17th and 18th in the College Football Playoff odds ... It's really just the fact that the SEC is pretty deep. Now we don't know how many elite teams there will be, but there are a lot of pretty good teams, theoretically, in the SEC this year." Pate also noted that both head coaches in this matchup are already on thin ice, and neither did much to help themselves last season. He also noted that both squads have difficult nonconference matchups before this game that could play a part in how they're being viewed at the time. "In this game we've got two head coaches in their third year that both have to get it done," Pate said. "Hugh Freeze at Auburn, Brent Venables at Oklahoma ... By the time they play this game in Norman in week four, Michigan will have already come to Norman and Auburn will have already played at Baylor. So, are they undefeated? Do they both have a loss? Maybe multiple losses? Two teams with, I don't know what they're rated, but whatever you would rate them, probably two of the most underrated pure roster talent teams in college football. Because no one expects much from either of them, and yet, they both have top-15 rosters ... So, I'm gonna circle that one." However, one storyline will take the cake once we finally get to game week this September, and that's the return of quarterback Jackson Arnold to Norman. He didn't play in last year's game after being benched the previous week in favor of Hawkins. Once thought to be the next superstar QB for the Sooners, Arnold has since transferred to play for Auburn, and will try to out-duel his replacement, Washington State transfer John Mateer. "You've got Jackson Arnold. Presumably he's starting at quarterback for Auburn, and he returns to Oklahoma," Pate said. One thing's for sure, on a schedule littered with important games and plenty of conference and CFP implications, Oklahoma's battle with Auburn on September 20th could be a tone-setter for what's to come down the road in the SEC in 2025 Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @Aaron_Gelvin.
