More than a decade after Aaron Rodgers' college career came to a close, the Green Bay Packers star quarterback showed Saturday morning that for some pro athletes, college allegiances never die.
Rodgers was the guest picker at the close of ESPN's College GameDay, and chose Texas to knock off Notre Dame among his predicted winners. But it didn't come out easily.
"Mack Brown isn't there anymore, so I can pick Texas," Rodgers said.
So why the bitterness? It stems from Brown's 2004 Texas team sneaking past Cal for a Rose Bowl bid. Brown made a public plea for Texas to get into the game despite being ranked behind the Golden Bears, and ultimately got his wish. Presumably, Brown's comments after the Longhorns got their way weren't much consolation for Rodgers.
"As happy as we are today, I really feel sorry for Cal," Brown said at the time. "Cal is a great football team. The system doesn't work and we understand that .... We'll keep working at this system where teams like Cal will be playing in the BCS. But I'm so happy for the kids at Texas because they deserve to be there."
Rodgers availability for the show was easy enough -- GameDay aired from outside Lambeau Field where LSU will face Wisconsin Saturday. And he brought a long memory along with him.
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