Joe Buck, Troy Aikman defend Indiana Hoosiers' College Football Playoff placement after opening round loss

While commentating on an NFL Week 16 "Monday Night Football" matchup between the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints, famed broadcasters Joe Buck and Troy Aikman praised Indiana and SMU's college football seasons.

Buck, who attended Indiana for 3.5 years but did not graduate, praised coach Curt Cignetti for his instant turnaround in Bloomington. The turnaround halted last Friday in South Bend with a 27-17 loss to Notre Dame.

Buck eventually received an honorary doctoral degree from Indiana in 2016, long after his sportscasting career had been established.

"You and I [Troy Aikman] have been talking about Indiana all year long," Buck said. "With the job Curt Cignetti did in just turning that program around. It didn't go the way he or they hoped with that first playoff game at Notre Dame, but my hat is off to a man and a program that got everybody who went there excited again."

Buck and Aikman bounced off one another, agreeing that not only did the Hoosiers and Mustangs deserve playoff eligibility, but discounting their seasons as failures is unfair when both lost to better competition.

"I would put SMU in that category as well," Aikman said. "I think the disappointment is for those that want to question whether those teams belonged in the [College Football] Playoff. I think to make those comments after they had devastating losses by the amount they did, I don't know if that's fair to anybody."

Aikman went on to say that some Super Bowl teams, without naming specific years, deserved to play in the game but lost similarly to the Hoosiers and Mustangs.

Regardless, both agreed that college football fans will always be dissatisfied with aspects of the playoff field's format.

The quarterfinals continue on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Matchups include Ohio State vs. Oregon in the Rose Bowl, Georgia vs. Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl, Texas vs. Arizona State in the Peach Bowl and Penn State vs. Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl.

As for the NFL, Week 17 begins Wednesday with a Christmas Day doubleheader featuring two all-AFC matchups: the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens, followed by a traditional slate for the remainder of the week.