There are different ways to look at which college football conference should be dubbed "the best." They typically vary on who you speak to on the subject, but normally championships reign supreme.
The Southeastern Conference owns eight out of the last 10 national championships in the sport, with four of them won by Nick Saban and Alabama, including 2015.
The lone Big Ten National Champion in the last decade is Ohio State. Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes took home the first-ever College Football Playoff National Championship in 2014, ushering in a new era in the sport that included a final four bracket and did away with the 16-year Bowl Championship Series model.
College football is essentially a minor league system for the NFL, which determined its two best teams Sunday in conference championship games. Denver ousted New England, 20-18, to win the American Football Conference while Carolina thrashed Arizona, 49-15, to take the National Football Conference. The Panthers and Broncos are set to meet in Super Bowl 50 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, Feb. 7.
Looking at each team in the Super Bowl, it is not surprising an SEC flavor is littered across the Carolina and Denver rosters. The best players in the game come from the best conference, and in the last 10 years that has been the SEC — if you base it off championships won in college football. There are more players from the SEC in Super Bowl 50 than any other conference.
However, a strong Ohio State (and as it turns out, Big Ten) contingent is also present in Super Bowl 50. On the 53-man active roster for each squad, there are five former Buckeyes—Kurt Coleman, Corey "Philly" Brown, Ted Ginn Jr. and Andrew Norwell for Carolina and Bradley Roby for Denver—readying to play for a ring in a little under two weeks. That is more than any other school. The next closest is Tennessee, with four active players.
A conference-by-conference breakdown of Super Bowl 50 participants (on active 53-man rosters):
| CONFERENCE | SEC | BIG TEN | PAC-12 | ACC | BIG 12 | MWC | AAC | SUN BELT | IND | C-USA | NAIA | D-II | FCS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | 12 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| Denver Broncos | 11 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | 2 |
| TOTAL | 23 | 17 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 |
All NFL franchises have the option to place players on Injured Reserve if they undergo season-ending surgery and will thus miss the remainder of games on the schedule. For example, former Ohio State tight end Jeff Heuerman has been on Denver's IR since May, when he tore his ACL at rookie minicamp. Teams can also hold the rights to a player even if he is suspended by the NFL for off-field issues or substance abuse. Carolina defensive end Frank Alexander was suspended by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Nov. 24 for one year after violating the league's substance abuse policy. He was already set to miss the season after suffering a torn Achilles in the preseason.
Here are the numbers by conference for Carolina and Denver's injured reserve and suspended players:
| CONFERENCE | SEC | BIG TEN | PAC-12 | ACC | BIG 12 | MWC | AAC | SUN BELT | IND | C-USA | NAIA | D-II | FCS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | 1 | – | 1 | – | 1* | 1 | – | 1 | – | – | – | 1 | 1 |
| Denver Broncos | – | 1 | 2 | 1 | – | 2 | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| TOTAL | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
*Suspended
Every team in the NFL also has a practice squad. To no surprise, the squads for Carolina and Denver have similar makeup conference-wise as the 53-man roster and those on injured reserve.
| CONFERENCE | SEC | BIG TEN | PAC-12 | ACC | BIG 12 | MWC | AAC | SUN BELT | IND | C-USA | NAIA | D-II | FCS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers* | 3 | – | 2 | 2 | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Denver Broncos | 2 | 1 | 2 | – | – | 2 | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | 1 |
| TOTAL | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
*Carolina tackle David Foucault played in Montréal before joining the Panthers
NFL teams can also sign players to futures contracts if they choose. The Panthers have seven players on futures contracts (three from Pac-12 schools, and one each from the ACC, SEC, MWC and D-II), while Denver only has four (two from the Big Ten, one each from an FCS and SEC school). Former Ohio State wide receiver DeVier Posey is on a futures contract with the Broncos.
In conclusion, the data represents once again the best football is played in the south, but the midwest is not far behind. That is also illustrated by this map of where the players in the Super Bowl played college ball.
While the SEC sits highest among the conferences represented in the NFL's championship game, Ohio State holds the most representatives from one institution.
One caveat of these numbers is conference expansion and realignment. For example, There are a few players in Super Bowl 50 that went to Maryland, which is now a Big Ten school. Two years ago, it was a member of the ACC.
The above breakdown stands for what the conferences look like upon completion of the 2015 football season.
