"I'm throwing up": Josh Pate left unimpressed after Matt Rhule's 40-team playoff suggestion

Josh Pate has shared his thoughts on Nebraska Cornhuskers coach Matt Rhule's comments about a 40-team College Football Playoff. On May 12, Rhule spoke with HuskerOnline about why he would be happy if the league expanded the tournament.

The coach joked that he'd be satisfied if 40 teams could participate, which led to fan backlash on Wednesday via X (formerly Twitter).

"The more spots, the better," Rhule said. "Make that thing 40 and let's go."

Pate was not impressed with the proposal from the Nebraska coach and shared his thoughts on X on Wednesday.

"Just saw the Matt Rhule 40 team playoff quote I'm throwing up," Pate tweeted.

A fan replied to Pate's tweet to point out that the coach's comment was a joke and was surprised the college football insider didn't notice.

"I thought you, of all people, could tell that the comment was made in jest. But good job feeding into the rage machine I guess," the fan wrote.

Pate replied to the fan asking if he was fooled into reacting negatively.

"Are you saying I was click baited?," Pate responded.

The coach explained in the interview that he is interested in the league expanding the College Football Playoff in hopes of his team competing for a national championship. Last year, the team finished with a 7-6 record and qualified for a bowl game.

He told HuskerOnline that Nebraska's 2025 season could be difficult because they have to play nine conference games, while others play eight. Although he joked about a 40-team tournament, he wants the league to have more spots for deserving teams.

"We're playing in a really, really tough league," Rhule said (Timestamp: 15:38). "We're playing really, really good teams, and you know what? If you're in this league, you deserve a chance to, you know, get to the postseason and see what you can do."

Matt Rhule discusses the Nebraska Cornhuskers' season opener against the Cincinnati Bearcats

Nebraska will kick off the 2025 season in a matchup against the Cincinnati Bearcats on Aug. 28 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. The last time both teams faced each other was in the Cornhuskers' 41-0 win on Nov. 29, 1906.

The coach believes Nebraska could face adversity in the season opener against the Bearcats. He also praised Cincinnati starting quarterback Brendan Sorsby for being a great player.

"Watching Cincinnati, they have an excellent team," Rhule said (Timestamp: 23:10). "They've got a great quarterback. So, we'll be challenged right off the bat.

"This is no layup to start the season now. This is a big-time football team, and it's what our team needs, right? We need to start off with that type of a game."

The coach will look for his starting quarterback, Dylan Raiola, to outperform Sorsby. Raiola finished the 2024 season with 275 completions for 2,819 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Nebraska fans are optimistic that the sophomore quarterback can win the season opener and lead the team to an appearance in the College Football Playoff later this year.