Josh Pate Names College Football Playoff Contenders People Are ‘Not Prepared For’ After Week 1

Week 1 of the college football season gave us plenty of fascinating games. Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated Texas A&M Aggies in College Station in a top-25 showdown.

Georgia Bulldogs destroyed Clemson Tigers in a non-competitive manner in another top-25 clash, and Sunday night featured Miller Moss playing hero as USC Trojans topped LSU Tigers in Las Vegas.

There is a long way to go until the first College Football Playoff rankings are released, but it is never too early to start up the conversation.

After Sunday's game ended, college football analyst Josh Pate named three College Football Playoff contenders that people are "not prepared for."

"Notre Dame + Miami + USC are early CFP contenders. Most are not prepared for this," Pate wrote on X.

It's quite a bold statement by Pate, especially after just one week.

On the other hand, all three of Notre Dame, USC and Miami Hurricanes had statement wins in the first week of the season.

Notre Dame defeated Texas A&M in College Station on Saturday as Duke transfer Riley Leonard led them to 10 unanswered fourth-quarter points for a 23-13 win.

Miami destroyed in-state rival Florida, 41-17, and then was seen chatting with Gators recruits after the game . It was a strong performance by Washington State transfer QB Cam Ward, who threw for three touchdowns and 385 yards in his Hurricanes debut.

Finally, the Trojans showed improved defense and a solid offensive display with a 27-20 victory over the Tigers, which resulted in yet another opening week loss for LSU 9the fifth in a row).

It is very early, but Josh Pate is feeling really good about those programs after Week 1.

In Week 2, USC faces Utah State Aggies, Notre Dame takes on Northern Illinois Huskies, and Miami faces Florida A&M Rattlers.

Related: Paul Finebaum Names Historic CFB Head Coach That Will Never Win Another Championship