BTN.com staff, BTN.com staff, September 7, 2011

When the 2011 NFL season kicks off Thursday night, expect to see a lot of familiar faces. The Big Ten, according to BigTen.org research, boasts 234 players on the league's recently finalized 53-man rosters. That's the second-highest total of any BCS conference, trailing only the SEC (268). Ohio State has the most Big Ten pros, with 35 — good enough to be tied for fifth among all schools.

Read the entire BigTen.org blog here.

If you want to track stats for former Big Ten players in the NFL, BTN.com is your place. Bookmark our NFL Tracker, and use it every week to see how your favorite Big Ten players performed.

NFL PLAYERS ON 53-MAN ROSTERS BY BCS-AQ CONFERENCE
1. SEC - 268
2. Big Ten - 234
3. ACC - 231
4. Pac-12 - 218
5. Big 12 - 141
6. Big East - 94

COLLEGE PROGRAMS WITH 25 OR MORE FORMER PLAYERS ON NFL 53-MAN ROSTERS
1. Miami (Fla.) - 42
2. USC - 41
3. Texas - 39
4. Tennessee - 36
T5. Ohio State - 35
T5. Georgia - 35
T5. LSU - 35
8. Iowa – 31
9. Florida - 30
10. California - 29
T11. Auburn - 27
T11. Maryland - 27
13. Michigan - 26
T14. Nebraska - 25
T14. Penn State - 25
T14. Florida State - 25

BIG TEN PLAYERS ON NFL 53-MAN ROSTERS
1. Ohio State – 35
2. Iowa - 31
3. Michigan - 26
T4. Nebraska - 25
T4. Penn State - 25
6. Illinois - 19
T7. Purdue - 18
T7. Wisconsin - 18
9. Michigan State - 16
10. Northwestern - 9
T11. Indiana - 6
T11. Minnesota - 6