Yes, you can watch football this weekend too

Anyone who has ever watched the awkward coda to the college football season, known as the Senior Bowl, knows it's nothing more than a glorified mini-combine and schedule-filler for the pre-Super Bowl downtime.

Much like the Army All-American Bowl, the Senior Bowl boasts large rosters and promises to constantly rotate players onto the field. It is a jersey scrimmage in Mobile, Alabama that is less privilege than necessity for many below-the-radar seniors who are looking to work their way up the draft board.

This year's Senior Bowl, however, is being crashed by quite a few big name players. Of note:

NORTH

• Kirk Barton, OL (OSU)
• Sam Baker, OL (USC)
• John David Booty, QB (USC)
• Dan Connor, LB (PSU)
• Sedrick Ellis, LB (USC)
• Chauncey Washington, RB (USC)
• Chad Henne, QB (Mich.)

SOUTH

• Erik Ainge, QB (Tenn.)
• Colt Brennan, QB (Hawaii)
• Early Doucet, WR (LSU)
• Ali Highsmith, LB (LSU)
• Limas Sweed, WR (Texas)
• Andre Woodson, QB (UK)
  

And more. Now, although future day one green-roomers like Matt Ryan have politely declined their invitation, showing up to the Senior Bowl is nothing to be ashamed of. Only 32 of the hundreds with Sunday dreams earn the title of "first-rounder."

It is, at the very least, interesting to see on the roster:

• two former Heisman front-runners (Woodson, Booty)
• a handful of guys who helped beat OSU in the title game
• an even larger handful of guys leaving USC. Will 'o8 finally be a rebuilding year?
• the holder of more than 30 NCAA D-1 records (Brennan)
• Tom Zbikowski of Notre Dame. I mean, wasn't he, like, 30 and boxing alligators when we played the Irish in the Fiesta Bowl?
• Limas Sweed. Good riddance.

The Senior Bowl will be played on Saturday and broadcast on NFL Network @4:00PM.