Skip to main content
Advertising

Aaron Rodgers: 'BCS an absolute joke,' 16-team playoff needed

Aaron-Rodgers-tos-010714.jpg

Count Green Bay Packers quarterback among those shedding no tears over the now-defunct BCS, which came to an end after 16 years with Florida State's last-second win over Auburn in the championship game Monday night.

"I think the BCS is (an) absolute joke," Rodgers said during his weekly radio show with ESPN Wisconsin on Tuesday.

"And the fact that they think they rectified it with four teams is a joke, as well," added Rodgers, referencing the new four-team playoff that will begin this season. Rodgers said a 16-team field would be the best way to determine a true national champion.

While plenty of people certainly agree with that assessment, Rodgers' comments seem to indicate he has not recovered from one of the more glaring controversies from the BCS era.

In 2004, Rodgers and his California Golden Bears were ranked No. 4 in the nation heading into the final week of the season and tantalizingly close to their first Rose Bowl bid in nearly a half-century. But after a closer-than-expected win at Southern Mississippi, Texas ended up with the trip to Pasadena, Calif. following successful lobbying by Longhorns head coach Mack Brown.

Had the playoff format been in effect that season, presumably the selection committee that will establish the two semifinals would have been immune from Brown's pandering and Cal would have been the last team in the field.

But Rodgers' bigger point stands: the new system might simply change the debate from "Who's No. 2?" to "Who's No. 4?"

Follow Dan Greenspan on Twitter @DanGreenspan.

This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an issue.

Related Content