The Pate State / Playoffs
The Playoffs
The playoff picture, four ways: the bracket as it stands, Josh's bracket, the machine's — and a predictor to run your own season.
If the Season Ended Today
Two Brackets. One January.
The full 12-team field, seeded from the JP Poll — both sides of the bracket funneling to the champion in the middle. First the AI Predictor's path, then Josh's. Both are locked and graded publicly.
The AI Predictor's Bracket
The AI Predictor's bracket arrives with the season
The machine projects its 12-team field from talent, schedules, and results — locked and graded publicly against Josh's bracket.
Josh's Bracket
First Round
Notre Dame
LSU
Indiana
TexasQuarterfinals
GeorgiaLSU
Boise StateIndianaSemifinal
GeorgiaIndianaNational Championship
Georgia
Ohio StateSemifinal
Ohio State
OregonQuarterfinals
Ohio State
Penn State
ClemsonOregonFirst Round
AlabamaPenn State
MiamiOregonThe Committee of the Citizens
Current Playoff Rankings
The 12-team field appears when the first board drops
Seeds come from the JP Poll plus conference standings, updated Sunday nights all season.
Free for Every Citizen · Two Windows, One Champion
Build Yours. Beat Everybody.
Call the field before anyone kicks off, then prove it again when the real bracket drops. Scored all season, standings live on the Quad, receipts forever.
Window 1 — August
The Preseason Bracket
Pick your 12, seed your byes, crown a champion — locked at Week 1 kickoff. +10 for every team that makes the field, +25 for an exact seed, +100 if your champ wins it all.
Window 2 — December
The Real Bracket
Selection Sunday, the field is set — fill out the actual bracket, round by round. Points double as you go: 10 · 20 · 40 · 80. Your August foresight plus your December nerve, one combined score.
The Payout
Real Prizes
Monthly leaders: merch + a shoutout on the show. Top 10 combined: signed Pate Report. The champion watches the National Championship with Josh — and goes on the Wall of Champions, forever.
Window 1 Is Open Now
Seed your 12-team field, crown your champion, and call the title-game total — the real entry takes about two minutes, and you can edit until picks lock at Week 1 kickoff.
Build My Bracket — Free →Josh's Playoff Picks
Where Josh Has It
Josh's bracket, on the record since August: Georgia over Ohio State in the final — with Indiana winning at Texas in the first round and crashing all the way to the Cotton Bowl semifinal.
Hear the Full ArgumentThe AI Predictor's Board
Where the AI Predictor Has It
The machine locks its bracket at Week 1 kickoff, then re-projects the field every week — and it gets graded publicly against Josh's picks in January.
Run Your Own Projection ↓Your Turn
Run the AI Playoff Predictor
Set the Scene
Predictor arrives with the season.
The Field, Ranked by Odds
Playoff Predictor
Every team still alive for the 12-team field, seeded from the JP Poll, with the machine's current chance to make it.
Live playoff odds arrive with the season
Once real results exist, every team's chance at the 12-team field updates here weekly.
Who's In? See the Playoff Picture.
THE BRACKET, THE RANKINGS, JOSH'S PICKS — AND AN AI TO RUN YOUR OWN