Big 12, SEC own NFL's first round

For the past two years, the cream of college football was controlled by two conferences: the SEC and Big 12. Florida beat Oklahoma for the 2008 national title, with Alabama and Texas not far behind. Alabama beat Texas for the 2009 national title, with Florida finishing No. 3.
We were reminded of the SEC/Big 12 horse race again last night in the NFL Draft, when half of the first-round picks came from the Big 12 (nine) or SEC (seven). The first eight players came from one of those two conferences, including Oklahoma starting the draft with three of the first four picks.
The SEC and Big 12 also had a run like this in the 2009 draft, producing 15 of the 32 first-round picks. These conference trends tend to go in cycles, although the SEC consistently finds itself near the top.