Crashing the College Football Playoff: Predicting Oklahoma or Florida to make the field

Josh Pate projected there to be all kinds of disorder this season in the Southeastern Conference. He thinks, with that, that’ll result in a berth for one of either Florida or Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff.

Pate made that prediction during ‘Josh Pate’s College Football Show’ on Sunday. He expects, although realizing it’s a take he may be alone on, one of the Gators or the Sooners to be an at-large from the SEC in the CFP

“Third thing I think I know? I’m going to pop the paper on this – I think I know either Oklahoma or Florida will make the playoff,” stated Pate.

“And, I think you’re laughing at me…Judging by the interactions I’ve had at my local gym, I am somewhat on an island with this, but that’s okay,” Pate said. “Island living is some of the best living. Just ask the late Jimmy Buffett.”

There are a lot of similarities between Florida and Oklahoma coming into 2025. That applies to the rosters, with new star quarterbacks, who Pate ranked as the two-best ones in the nation, along with targets and an offensive line around those quarterbacks as well as starters back from some of the better defensive units in the country. That also applies to their head coaches, with both Billy Napier and Brent Venables being essentially consensus hot-seat selections and in need of great seasons in their fourth years respectively at each school. Finally, it applies to their schedules, with the Gators and the Sooners playing two of the tougher schedules in all of college football this season. Pate also, of note, had both as Top-10 teams last week in the debut of JP Poll, fittingly with Florida at No. 9 and Oklahoma at No. 10.

With that, it stands to reason, while both may have a playoff-level ceiling, that both likely won’t get into the CFP, especially with Pate projecting both possibly at-larges as neither were in his pick for the SEC Championship. Neither may get in by the end but, between the two, Pate is expecting one to make the field for the playoff come December if whichever one can get to a record of 9-3 – with his pick being Florida at the end of the day based on his playoff bracket tonight.

“Florida and Oklahoma, I both have power-rated as top-ten teams. They both have incredibly difficult schedules,” said Pate. “I believe at least one of them will pierce through. I believe either one of them is in at 9-3, so you can lose a quarter of your games and, as long as you’re there at the end of the year, I think they’re going to put you in. I think one of them will be in there.”

Despite their very hard schedules, it’s a shame that Florida and Oklahoma can’t settle a lot of this against one another on the field themselves. That, though, assuming all things work out in Gainesville and Norman, could now have them on a season-long playing field against one another to see if either one of them can get themselves into the College Football Playoff.