(In honor of a certain game that will be kicking off in mere minutes, I’ve decided to repost this with expressed written consent from, well, myself.)
As you may have heard, the Baltimore Ravens will represent the AFC and the San Francisco 49ers the NFC in tonight’s Harbowl Superbaugh Super Bowl. Obviously, the rosters of both of the two participants will be stocked with players plucked from the NCAA’s free football farm system.
And, just as expected, the conference that lords over BCS titles... and the NFL draft... and the recruiting trail will have a significant presence in, appropriately enough, New Orleans.
Of the 140 players listed on the roster page of the official websites of the two teams -- including active, injured reserve, practice squad, etc. -- 23 come from the SEC, with the Ravens boasting 12 players from the seven-time defending BCS champion conference and 11 coming from the 49ers. Of the 14 teams in the league, 12 members will have players who are listed on the two rosters; Kentucky and Vanderbilt are the only two SEC schools not represented.
The ACC and Big Ten are next with 19 players apiece. Interestingly, 11 of the 12 members of the latter conference will have former players on the two Super Bowl teams, with Minnesota being the lone B1G member shutout this year. Additionally, the Ravens really like the Big Ten as 13 players from that conference litter the AFC champ’s roster.
The Pac-12 (16) and Big 12 (12) were the only other conferences in double digits. The highest number for a “non-BCS” conference? Conference USA with seven, one more than the Mountain West’s six.
As far as individual schools are concerned, the Miami Hurricanes are tops in that category with seven players, five of whom are members of the Ravens. Oregon was next with five players, followed by Marshall, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Texas and Utah with four apiece. Four schools had three players each -- Arizona State, Georgia, Maryland and Rutgers.
All told, there are 21 players from non-FBS programs. Delaware and Washburn are the only schools from the other levels with players and around in the game.