CBS Sports College Football Analyst Josh Pate Doubles Down On Georgia Tech Ahead Of 2025 Season

“I have Georgia Tech playing for the ACC Championship this year. I could not possibly be higher on this team.

Jul 23, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Georgia Tech Head Coach Brent Key answers questions from the media during ACC Media days at Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Yellow Jackets just finished their first week of Fall Camp as they gear up to get ready for the first game of the season on August 29th in Colorado. There are a lot of eyes on the Yellow Jackets, who have continued to garner praise from pundits around the country and were recently predicted to finish No. 4 in the ACC for the 2025 season. One pundit, CBS Sports College Football Analyst Josh Pate, has continued to praise the Georgia Tech program dating back to the early spring. Pate went on the Solid Verbal podcast and doubled down on his take about the Yellow Jackets this season and what he believes they can accomplish.

“I have Georgia Tech playing for the ACC Championship this year. I could not possibly be higher on this team. I feel comfortable in this position. People still think they are a dark horse; they are not a dark horse. They are very proven at quarterback, but also, you have to watch Georgia Tech for three minutes to understand the full identity of that team,” said Pate.

“Georgia Tech is a program built with a nucleus of hateful three stars. No one is accidentally playing for Georgia Tech. Everyone is purposefully there. I could not be higher on that team this year. It wouldn’t shock me if they won the ACC, but I thought having them play for the title was enough for what we needed today.”

Pate is one of the few who have been as outspoken about Georgia Tech this offseason about their potential and what they can achieve. He’s continued to talk up the program and has stood down on his fiery take.

During the spring, he had this to say and had the Yellow Jackets as a top 20 team post-spring. Here are some of Pate’s earlier comments about the program, he said back then.

"You know, another one that I have on my radar? I hinted at this earlier tonight, but it's Georgia Tech. I think Georgia Tech is a legitimate contender in the ACC. They have the 5th best odds in the ACC, and I have already bet on them. I have backed this up with my own money. Haynes King is there again; they have an excellent program identity, they are 26th in returning production, and look at the schedule. They get Clemson at home early in the year, and then they get Georgia late in the year. If they split those games? Look at the rest of it. None of those are gimmes because Georgia Tech's talent roster is not going to be at the point where they could just roll the helmet out there on the field and think they are going to win a game, but they don't play Miami, they don't play Louisville, and they don't play SMU. If they were to get that Clemson game early, then everyone will start buying this, I am just trying to buy it before then. They could lose the Clemson game and still make it honestly, if they just win out."

Nov 21, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key on the sideline against the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the fourth quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Pate mirrored the same sentiment during the summer, labelling Clemson vs Georgia Tech a top 10 game of the 2025 season.

“As you know, I am very high on Georgia Tech. Think about this, it is only week 3, but Clemson has played LSU, not in a conference game, but they have already played. If Clemson won that game, then everybody is hyping them up as a national championship contender even more so than they already are,” said Pate. “Georgia Tech has already played Colorado. We don’t necessarily know what that will look like. Georgia Tech will be a short favorite in that one, I would imagine. This right here is where, if Georgia Tech is going to be a player, we may find out.”

“They don’t necessarily need to beat Clemson. Remember Georgia Tech last year? They beat Miami at home. They took Georgia to half a dozen overtimes. They lost to Syracuse by three. I think they lost a couple of games without Haynes King. I think that team was better last year than their record indicated. I think they are a dark horse player for a playoff spot this year. If I am right about that, we will start to find out in that week 3 game.”

Georgia Tech is in a prime position to be a contender this year in the ACC and cement their status as a college football playoff contender and shock a lot of folks outside of the program. Pate has been one of the few that has believed for a long time in what this team can achieve when fully healthy.