SEC Football: The SEC West-Deepest Division in College Football

For the second consecutive year, the entire SEC West is bowl eligible.

The SEC West continues to flex its muscles again in 2015, further proving that the division is the deepest in all of college football.  All 7 teams in the SEC West are bowl eligible and the division also contains the #2 team in the country in the Alabama Crimson Tide.

The PAC 12 can’t make that claim.  Their highest ranked team is #11 Stanford, but they come from the PAC 12 North.  The PAC 12 South contains 5 bowl eligible teams, but Colorado sits at 4-8.  Their best isn’t better; their worst isn’t better.  No competition for deepest division here.

Big 12 you say?  Sure they have three teams with only one loss and Oklahoma is hovering around the College Football Playoff picture.  The first problem, though, is that they don’t have divisions.  You have to examine the conference as a whole.  With a winless team and a 3-8 unit to go along with a pair of 4-6 squads, you’re not winning that argument here.  Their best isn’t better; their worst isn’t better.

Maybe you should look at the Big 10, you gander?  Well if I’m going to, I’m only looking at the Big 10 East.  The East houses Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State.  Sure Iowa is undefeated in the Big 10 West, but that division is on par with the SEC East it is so top heavy.  O wait, the bottom 4 teams of Big 10 West consist of three 5-6 squads to go along with 2-9 Purdue.  Nevermind.  Their best isn’t better; their worst isn’t better.

More from SEC News

You did not just think “well what about the ACC?”  Please tell me you did not actually just have that thought.  Sure, Clemson calls the ACC Atlantic division home.  The problem, though, is that so does Syracuse (3-8), Wake Forest (3-8) and Boston College (3-8).  O yeah, those three teams combined have 2 conference wins.  So stop.  Just stop.  Their best might be better; their worst isn’t better.

What is there to take from all this?  Two things that were anticipated in the preseason (which is saying something considering how many SEC West predictions were horribly wrong) will hold true at season’s end:

  1.  The SEC West is undeniably the deepest division in all of college football
  2. A 4 million-a-year head coach will lead his team to a last place finish in the division

Such is life in the SEC West.

SEC West Division Standings:

  1. Alabama (who have to beat Auburn to definitely win the SEC West) 10-1 (6-1 SEC)
  2. Mississippi (Alabama’s competition for the SEC West) 8-3 (6-2)
  3. Arkansas 6-5 (4-3)
  4. LSU 7-3 (4-3)
  5. Mississippi State 8-3 (4-3)
  6. Texas A&M 8-3 (4-3)
  7. Auburn 6-5 (2-5)

Next: AP Poll for Week 13 Released

More from Southbound and Down