OSU Well Represented At This Year's Super Bowl

If your favorite pro team fell short of reaching this year's Super Bowl and you're looking for reasons to care outside of just the normal set – the final game of the year, the magnitude, the commercials, parties, etc. – then here is some good news.

At least it's good news if you're an Oklahoma State fan.

OSU is the only school in the state with representatives in Super Sunday this season and it has four of them; two for the Ravens and two for the 49ers.

Neither team has a Sooner, Golden Hurricane, small college performer or even a native Oklahoman who went to school out of state, but the Pokes are well represented.

In fact, only one school has more players in this year's Super Bowl than OSU – the Miami Hurricanes, who have seven. And the ‘Canes feature several of this game's headliners with Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Frank Gore all having played college ball in Coral Gables.

The Ravens have former Cowboy tight end Billy Bajema and defensive lineman Ryan McBean. Bajema, a Westmoore product, is the only native Oklahoman on either roster in the Super Bowl.

The 49ers feature two more recent OSU standouts with running back Kendall Hunter and cornerback Perrish Cox.

Ok, here comes the bad news: only one of the four is likely to play in the Big Easy.

Hunter and McBean are out of the game because of injuries and Bajema doesn't get many reps.

Hunter was Frank Gore's primary backup for the Niners before he suffered a season-ending ankle injury against the New Orleans Saints in late November. Hunter was averaging 5.2 yards per carry and had two rushing touchdowns before his season was cut short.

On the other sideline, Bajema has yet to record any stats this season as the team's third tight end. Even though Bajema might not play, he has ties to both teams. He was drafted by San Francisco in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft.

McBean, a former starter for the Denver Broncos, was acquired by Baltimore in the offseason but he suffered a broken ankle in Baltimore's preseason victory against Atlanta.

This leaves Perrish Cox as the lone Cowboy expected to see the field but he should see it plenty as he has carved out a nice role for himself in the 49ers' secondary.

Cox, another former Bronco, is in only his second NFL season after sitting out the entire 2011 campaign following felony sexual assault charges, which were ultimately dropped in March 2012.

He has 20 tackles and two passes defended in a reserve role for the Niners this season

Cox plays behind eight-year pro Carlos Rogers at the left corner spot and has four tackles through two postseason games so far.

Even though three of the four won't see any playing time on Sunday, at least two will become Super Bowl champions.