Want To Play in the Super Bowl? These Are the Schools and Conferences To Play In

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What does the Super Bowl and National Signing Day have in common? As college coaches burn up the phone lines and travel the country trying to persuade the best High School players to come to their school, many promote how many players they have sent on to play in the NFL.

While this can be important; we can all point to players who were drafted based on where they went to school. Most of these type of players turn into busts. A more telling stat is which colleges and conferences not only get you to the NFL, but more importantly, prepare you enough to excel once there.

Looking back at the past six Super Bowls, including this year, we see 12 teams with a wide array of players and talent. While the BCS conferences do dominate the standings, there are a few surprise schools within those conferences, and one non-BCS conference that jumps into the top six.

One surprising stat is that this year alone, there are 10 players who played below the FCS division (formerly D1-A) that will play in the game.

No. 6: MAC

Often called the cradle of coaches, it also appears to be a good springboard for players too.

The MAC is sending 12 players to the Super Bowl this year, that is fourth among all conferences.

They have sent 39 over the past six years.

Central Michigan is tied for second among all schools this year, in that they are sending four players.

Over the past six years, each MAC school has had at least one former player make the Super Bowl, with Temple leading the way.

No. 5: PAC-10

The PAC 10 holds down the fifth spot among conferences, but lags behind the top four.

They have sent 68 players to the Super Bowl over the past six, with 10 going this year.

USC leads the way with 14, followed by UCLA with 13.

No. 4: Big 12

A bit of surprise that they were not in the top three. The Big 12 has sent 86 players to the Super Bowl over the past six years with 14 going this year.

Texas is tied for the lead among all schools this year with five and lead the Big 12 conference over the past six years with 16 players.

No. 3: ACC

A strong showing by Miami and Florida State helps place the ACC solidly in third place with 106.

Miami leads the conference with 21 players, Florida State is next in line with 19.

This year, 10 players will be representing the ACC.

No. 2: SEC

The SEC finds themselves in second place with 116 players sent to the Super Bowl.

The surprise is that Tennessee leads the way, as they not only lead the conference this year, but they are also tied for the lead of all schools by sending five this year.

Over the past six seasons, LSU has led the way for the conference by sending 21 players. Georgia is next with 19.

The SEC does lead the way this year with 19 players in the Super Bowl, just edging out our overall No. 1 conference.

No. 1: Big Ten

The Big Ten leads the way with 130 players sent to the Super Bowl over the past six years. The Big Ten tends to get kicked around due to their bowl record, but if a player wants to play in a Super Bowl someday it appears they need to come here to play.

All 11 of the schools are represented this year alone. While most of the other conferences are dominated by a couple of schools and often not every school is represented, the Big Ten has had at least five players from each school make it to a Super Bowl.

Michigan leads the way among the conference and all schools with 28, followed by Penn State (18) and Purdue(15).

This year the conference is second with 17 players.