For about a decade now, the SEC West has always been thought of as the superior division in the SEC, and perhaps the strongest division in all of college football.
However, the strong, mighty image that the SEC West loves to display is slowly deteriorating and it’s not because the West isn’t home to a team worthy of playoff consideration. As long as Nick Saban is at Alabama, the college football playoff will go through the SEC West, but after Alabama and Auburn, there’s a huge drop off.
With the SEC West’s mid-tier teams like LSU and Mississippi State regressing in recent weeks, the SEC West has effectively lost a lot of its punch. I mean seriously, aside from Alabama and Auburn, who can the SEC West hang their hat on? Texas A&M isn’t a sure thing yet. Mississippi State is reeling after back-to-back blowout losses. Arkansas’s body of work thus far screams medicore.
Last year, West supporters could atleast display support on LSU’s behalf for being a nine-win team, but the Tigers look more like a six or seven win team at the moment. The current outlook of the SEC West displays one thing — regression. Of course, it’s still early and things could change, but right now the SEC West doesn’t look as mighty as we’re used to seeing.
Let’s take a look at the current state of the SEC West.