Josh Pate would happily sign up for a College Football Playoff field that feels like a throwback to the 1990s.
During an episode of “Josh Pate’s College Football Show,” a viewer floated the idea that the season could end with Nebraska, Virginia Tech and Tennessee all back in the playoff picture. Pate didn’t just entertain it - he embraced it.
“I would love to see Nebraska, Virginia Tech, and Tennessee in the playoff,” Pate said. “That would be #goodforthegame. In my humble opinion, it would be very good for the game.”
The idea carries a built-in nostalgia factor. In the 1990s, those three programs were all major names on the national stage.
Nebraska finished the decade No. 1 in wins with 103. Tennessee was No. 4 with 92.
Virginia Tech checked in at No. 19 with 74.
The modern picture looks very different. Since 2010, none of the three programs ranks in the top 25 in wins.
Since 2020, only Tennessee has cracked that list, tied for No. 24.
And in the College Football Playoff era, which began in 2014, Tennessee is the only one of the trio to make the field, doing so in the 2024 season.
Tennessee is also the least shocking name in this conversation. Josh Heupel has led the Volunteers to nine or more wins in three of the last five seasons, so another playoff run would not be out of nowhere.
Nebraska is a tougher climb, even with Matt Rhule’s steady work. Rhule inherited a team that had six straight losing seasons and has already guided the Cornhuskers to back-to-back seven-win seasons.
Now in Year 4, he’s pushing for more, but the Big Ten makes that road steep. With three programs that have pulled away from the rest of the league, nothing about a playoff breakthrough would come easy.
Virginia Tech is the longest shot of the three. The Hokies have finished with a losing record in five of the last six seasons, including a 3-9 mark last year.
The program is also entering a new era after firing Brent Pry last season. Even with the ACC offering a different level of difficulty than the Big Ten or SEC, a playoff jump in Year 1 would be a major surprise.
Still, the broader point is clear: a playoff bracket with Tennessee, Nebraska and Virginia Tech would feel like a blast from college football’s past. Tennessee has the clearest path based on what it has done recently, while Nebraska and Virginia Tech would need major turnarounds to get there.
If it happened, it would be one of the season’s biggest storylines.
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An Ohio judges injunction against the NCAA has added a fresh wrinkle to the eligibility picture for players trying to squeeze out one more season, including former Nebraska guard Jamarques Lawrence. The ruling gives 24 players a path to five seasons of competition and adds another legal precedent to a growing set of challenges around how the NCAA plans to handle its new five-year framework.
For Nebraska, the timing is notable because the NCAA is still working through how it will codify the rule and which players it intends to leave out. Lawrence does not automatically get another year out of the Ohio decision, but the case gives his side something to point to, much like the recent Douglas County District Court ruling that granted Omahas Isaac Ondekane an extra year after his own injury-related argument. [Read more 🡒]
Matt Rhule Just Got A Telling Big Ten Reality Check
Matt Rhules standing in the Big Ten took a noticeable hit in USA TODAY Sports latest coach rankings, where the Nebraska head coach dropped to No. 9 after sitting at No. 5 a year ago. The slide comes after a season that still had plenty for Nebraska to hang its hat on, including a 6-2 start and a second straight bowl appearance, but the finish left a different impression as the Huskers again spent too much time trying to patch holes up front.
USA TODAYs evaluation points straight at the trenches, where Nebraskas line play on both sides of the ball remains the clearest test of whether Rhule can push the program higher. The offense and defense both had stretches that undercut the bigger picture, even with Emmett Johnson producing a standout rushing season, and the late-season issues gave the ranking a harsher edge. Nebraska now turns the page toward Sept. 5, when it opens 2026 at Memorial Stadium against Ohio on FS1. [Read more 🡒]