How a Lunch in Atlanta Led to Josh Pate’s ESPN College Football Show
Pate told ESPN that legacy media was underserving college football fans.
College football analyst Josh Pate is embarking on his first season hosting a weekly ESPN traveling show, Bussin' and Pate on Campus, alongside cohosts Will Compton and Taylor Lewan. This launch is more than just a career progression for Pate, who had been a frequent contributor to multiple ESPN shows last season, but also signifies ESPN's significant investment in college football programming, beyond game-day broadcasts.
The idea for the show began with a lunch in Atlanta on the eve of last year's SEC Conference Championship Game, where Pate met with ESPN president of content Burke Magnus and other executives. At this meeting, Magnus was curious about Pate's thoughts on college football, a question that Pate found surprising given his normal experience with high-level media executives.
Pate expressed his belief that the legacy media system had not adequately served college football, despite its excellent game broadcasting, and this perspective sparked the creation of the show he now hosts. The show, which officially debuted at the start of the 2026 season, was seen as a potential solution by ESPN executives to fill the void in college football content.
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