“Where Were These Playoffs In 2004?”: Aaron Rodgers Still Salty Over Former Texas HC Mack Brown Denying Him a Chance To Play At the Rose Bowl

Aaron Rodgers has been known never to hesitate to speak his heart. He’s gone on the record in recent years sharing his unique opinions on life, COVID-19, and even retirement. Saturday morning, he took the time to recall how his college team was not invited to the Rose Bowl in 2004 because of Mack Brown and his brother Watson.

In the latest New York Jets post, the team asked each player to give their hot takes on the new college football playoff format. It’s been a growing trend this season for teams to catch players off guard and have them answer questions for social media. Most Jets players responded by talking about how Boise State is underrated, or how the college they went to should make the playoffs. But Rodgers took a different approach, to say the least.

HOT TAKES: College Football Playoff pic.twitter.com/PMH2AsjLGP

— New York Jets (@nyjets) December 7, 2024

Rodgers decided to drop bombshells on Mack and Watson Brown. Claiming that they voted his 2004 Cal Golden Bears down in the polls and snubbed them from the Rose Bowl. It’s surprising that Rodgers still holds bitterness for the two after all these years, but he seems to believe they were the reason why he missed out.

“Where were these playoffs in 2004?” Rodgers asked the camera. “We had Mack Brown and his brother Watson voting us down in the polls, kept us out of the Rose Bowl.”

It’s a hefty assertion, but one that rings true to this day. The 2004 BCS rankings were highly controversial at the time and are still talked about.

Rodgers had Cal Buzzing in 2004

Rodgers and his Cal team were 10-1 and ranked number four in the nation in polls back in 2004. Their only loss came to the number one team in the nation, USC. The Bears at the time ranked in the top six in both scoring offense and scoring defense. They also had an average margin of victory of almost 24 points. It was a team that thoroughly deserved a chance to play in a major bowl game.

But drama ensued when Texas Longhorns coach at the time, Mack Brown, argued that his team was more deserving of a major bowl spot than Cal. He persuaded the voters to vote for Texas higher in the final rankings. This left the Golden Bears to attend the Holiday Bowl instead.

It’s something that clearly still gets under Rodgers’ skin today, and rightfully. It must be frustrating to experience so much success in a season and not get the chance to play in a major bowl game. But it’s a tale as old as time in college football. Especially when it comes to SEC and BIG 12 schools, they are just generally more favored in the rankings.

Now that we have the 12-team college football playoff, it means this scenario would never occur today. Both teams would make the playoffs and have a chance to prove their worth. Something that Rodgers wishes they could’ve done at the time.