Josh Pate Names Two Surprise Teams Who Could Make The College Football Playoff This Season

Josh Pate is the host of Late Kick With Josh Pate, an online talk show focused on college football news, discussions and predictions.

With college football's first-ever 12-team playoff season set to begin, Pate decided to unveil his picks for two major conference teams that could surprise everyone and make the field this season.

Pate's two selections went a combined 14-12 last season but could be in line for a big bump if Pate's predictions end up coming true.

"Well, I've got two of them," Pate said. "One of them is Iowa State, and you can partially call that bias, which it is, but I also believe they can make a serious push for the auto bid spot in the Big 12," the college football host added.

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"If they win the conference they're in, no questions asked."

Pate's second pick plays in the Atlantic Coast Conference and has been far removed from the college football spotlight as of late: Virginia Tech.

Pate discussed a scenario in which the Hokies could be a "one loss team or better" by the time Clemson football comes to Blacksburg, Virginia on November 9, which could awaken a sleeping giant at Lane Stadium, which used to be one of the toughest places to play in college football.

"What if they wake up?" Pate asked. "They've got a shot this year.

"They've got a shot, they've got a workable schedule, they've got a team that's totally in touch with their identity, (and) they could have a high-level run game with Kyron Drones at quarterback, contributing to that."

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