The SEC West

[jbcarol]

Dennis Dodd @dennisdoddcbs  ·  5h

First time five teams from one SEC division have been undefeated and all ranked this late in the season. http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/writer/dennis-dodd/24723700/ams-kenny-hill-used-to-playing-with-great-expectations-and-winning ...

[jbcarol]

ESPN SEC @ESPN_SEC  ·  9m

SEC West alone rivals most conferences http://es.pn/1sxiwRt

"I can't remember a time when there were that many good teams in one division," said former Alabama coach Gene Stallings, who guided the Crimson Tide to the 1992 national championship. "Texas A&M probably wishes it was on the other side. It's a really strong division right now."

Consider the strength of the SEC West through the first month of the 2014 season:

• SEC West teams are 22-0 against teams not in the division and are winning those games by an average margin of 34 points [Many front load non-conference including guarantee games]. SEC West teams are a combined 24-2, with the only losses coming against each other. Along with Auburn's victory over Arkansas, Mississippi State upset LSU 34-29 on the road last week.

• The SEC West has a 99.3 rating on a 0-100 scale in ESPN's division power rankings, which is 33 points higher than any other division in college football...

[Torqued pork]

It's a pretty good indication of the depth in the division when MSU can beat LSU at night in Death Valley. and after the game you feel like it wasn't really much of an upset.

[kaptainkory]

Now 28 and 3.  The only losses to each other still.  Sucks that AR owns 2 of those (also MS St over LSU), but it is what it is.  5 of the 7 teams still with perfect records.

By contrast in the SEC east, no team remains with a perfect record and are 18 and 12 overall.

Peeking at the regular season schedules, there seems to be only a few games where an SEC W team might slip:

Auburn vs. SC
Auburn at Georgia
Miss vs. Tenn
AR vs. Georgia
AR at MO

Beyond those games--all winnable, mind you--where is an SEC W team going to lose outside the division?  I just don't see it.  It's a very realistic expectation at this point that the division will finish unblemished outside of itself.  Has anything along those lines ever happened?

Curious to see how these teams continue to be seen in the polls and by the playoff committee as they beat the living daylights out of each other.  And I'll dare say that AR is gonna show up somewhere in the mix (not bottom!), even with our 2 tough loses to start.

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports @aldotcomSports  ·  1h
Alabama moves to No. 1 in the coaches poll after sitting idle Saturday. http://ow.ly/C2uxc

SEC West places six teams in the Top 15.

[jbcarol]

David Brandt @davidbrandtAP  ·  33m 33 minutes ago

The SEC West will claim a first in college football this Saturday: 1 division, 3 games, 6 ranked teams. http://bigstory.ap.org/article/7a645df499344c8e9f0cd983ca3b6bbf/wild-wild-sec-west-set-historic-day ...

[kaptainkory]

David Brandt @davidbrandtAP  ·  33m 33 minutes ago

The SEC West will claim a first in college football this Saturday: 1 division, 3 games, 6 ranked teams. http://bigstory.ap.org/article/7a645df499344c8e9f0cd983ca3b6bbf/wild-wild-sec-west-set-historic-day …

The historic day comes in a division that has a combined 28-4 record with three of those defeats coming in head-to-head matchups.

That's wrong, unless I'm missing something...it's 28-3 with all 3 defeats in division (AR loss to Auburn, AR loss to A&M, and LSU loss to MS St).

[jbcarol]

SEC Network Analyst and former Georgia offensive tackle Matt Stinchcomb ranked the SEC West in order earlier this week during SEC Now.

Here's how Stinchcomb ranked what is by all accounts the toughest division in college football.

1. Alabama
2. Auburn
3. Texas A&M
4. Ole Miss
5. Mississippi State
6. Arkansas
7. LSU

[kaptainkory]

Heard on national sports talk radio driving home the other night about the SEC W.  The analyst mentioned that Arkansas, "probably the number 7 team in the W", could beat Florida St. on any given Saturday, probably win the B1G, compete for title in the Big 12, top 3 at least in pretty much any other conference.  (Hope I got those conferences mentioned correct?)  Very glowing assessment.  I hope we win some games to back it up!  HA!

[NaturalStateReb]

Heard on national sports talk radio driving home the other night about the SEC W.  The analyst mentioned that Arkansas, "probably the number 7 team in the W", could beat Florida St. on any given Saturday, probably win the B1G, compete for title in the Big 12, top 3 at least in pretty much any other conference.  (Hope I got those conferences mentioned correct?)  Very glowing assessment.  I hope we win some games to back it up!  HA!

Kinda hard to argue with most of that.  Just goes to show how insane the SEC West is.

[jbcarol]

http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/100061/stats-info-sec-west-vs-nations-best

SEC West is historically strong this year, with six teams ranked in the top 15. And they'll all be squaring off this weekend, with Ole Miss hosting Alabama, Mississippi State hosting Texas A&M and LSU traveling to Auburn. So we got to thinking how the top teams in other conferences -- think Florida State, Oklahoma, Michigan State and more -- would fare if they had to run through an SEC West slate.

Our friends at Stats & Information, using the Football Power Index, provided projected records for some elite Power 5 teams if they had to face Arkansas' schedule...

[007 License To Squeal]

We CAN beat both Ole Miss and Bama.

[bigred223]

Any team in our division can beat any team in our division on any given Saturday.

[HiggiePiggy]

Very well could be ole miss vs Mississippi state for the sec west division. 

[Breems]

All the former bottom dwellers are celebrating big wins and a rise to prominence except us.

[A_R_K_A_N_S_A_S]

Any team in our division can beat any team in our division on any given Saturday.

this

[007 License To Squeal]

Any team in our division can beat any team in our division on any given Saturday.

Yep.  It seems mistakes have played a big part of wins and losses in our division.

[A_R_K_A_N_S_A_S]

Very well could be ole miss vs Mississippi state for the sec west division.

and this

[A_R_K_A_N_S_A_S]

Yep.  It seems mistakes have played a big part of wins and losses in our division.

We have to clean ours up and we will get some big wins, too.

[mrfranchize]

All the former bottom dwellers are celebrating big wins and a rise to prominence except us.

Our time will come Its inevitable

[3kgthog]

Except all the other West teams seem to have some things we don't...WRs and defense.

[007 License To Squeal]

Except all the other West teams seem to have some things we don't...WRs and defense.

Our defense is vastly improved.

[Atlhogfan1]

Except all the other West teams seem to have some things we don't...WRs and defense.

Well we have RBs and Ole Miss doesn't and A&M doesn't use them.  All the teams are flawed in this division even though it is the best in college football. 

[PorkRinds]

With so many of the top rated teams going down this week (BAMA, aTm, OU, Oregon) it seems like there is more parity in college football than there has been in a long long time. 

[rljjr]

I happen to like our receivers. They're young (except for one), but they'll get there. There is no reason to be pessimistic about any part of our team.

[rljjr]

And ... while it is early, Auburn is gashing LSU. 17-0 with 3:38 in the 1st.

[Danny J]

We CAN WILL beat both Ole Miss and Bama.

[HSVhogfan2]

All the former bottom dwellers are celebrating big wins and a rise to prominence except us.

It takes at least 4-5 years to rebuild. You know............ Processs.

[JaketheSnake]

And it has been no secret that it would likely take us 3 to be truly competitive and wins some real games.  I'd say we are on track. 

[HSVhogfan2]

That's why it has taken ole miss 3

Sorry, I guess I missed the sarcasm button

[atekido]

Except all the other West teams seem to have some things we don't...WRs and defense.

Pretty sure our D did VERY well overall v TT and A&M

[Iwastherein1969]

we are not out of this thing yet

[redeye]

Except all the other West teams seem to have some things we don't...WRs and defense and supportive fans.

FIFY

[870hogfan]

FIFY

He is always negative....

[threeNout]

A 2 loss representative from the West in the SECCG is looking more plausible by the week.

The way top teams are dropping in the top 25, 2 SEC teams in the final 4 doesn't seem impossible.

Could an SEC W team, who doesn't even make it to the SECCG, end up having a legitimate argument to be in the final 4?

We have to beat Bama, sweep the Mississippi teams, then let those 3 beat up everyone else,  least that's what hoping for.

Pretty much anything seems possible at this point,  I am pulling for an LSU comeback tonight. 

[kaptainkory]

Just food for thought...

Presuming Auburn beats LSU tonight (looks likely), the home team will have won in 4 of 6 inter-division games so far.  Our game against A&M was on a neutral field, but I think we were technically the visiting team, so you could call it 5 of 6.  The other home team loss was LSU to MS St.  Too early to tell if that trend will continue, but I'll just say I'm glad AR will be home for the next 3 games.

[threeNout]

my west power rankings as of right now

Auburn
Ole Miss
Alabama
Ms St
Arkansas
tx am
lsu

[LRrazorback]

Of the teams I saw in the west today here's how I would rank them. I can't believe I'm about to do this but...

1) univ of ms
2) aubbie
3) ms st
4) bama
5) Tx am
6) lsu
7) ar

I'm stunned by the success of the ms schools. I hate to see it because it only makes it harder on us to get recruits and publicity.  Murderers row and...we also get the top two teams in the east. I'm not seeing 5 wins on this schedule unless we can beat lsu, unfortunately we lost our best chance of a win last week against tx am

[TheGreatHogsby]

SEC West
1. Auburn
2.Ole Miss
3.Miss St
4.Alabama
5.TAMU
6. Arkansas
7.LSU

[RazorbackRon]

eenie meenie miney moe

[PorkRinds]

I think State is better than ole miss.

[jfred59]

Could it be that Mississippi no longer ranks last in pay scale?

[z1on]

LSU is last, they are horrible in all phases of the game.

[lumphog]

I'd put State ahead of the black bears.......because they're better

[ballz2thewall]

I think State is better than ole miss.

so do i. 

[FayArkFan]

I would put Auburn and Miss State above Ole Miss, but it's hard to say until they play each other. My guess is that one or more of Miss State, Ole Miss, and Arkansas will be impacted by injuries and lack of depth as the season goes on (just like most years) so they may not end us as good as they have started. I wouldn't count Bama out yet, either.

[LRrazorback]

Pork rinds you may be right, I just don't know how strong tx am is especially after USC lost two straight, one of them to Kentucky tonight. I think we blew a golden opportunity last week

[Cartoon Man]

We will see how it all plays out. The hogs will get at least two wins in conference.

[razorbackchamps94]

LSU is last, they are horrible in all phases of the game.

Arkansas is until they win an SEC game.

[Triple T]

LSU is last, they are horrible in all phases of the game.

Uhh... LSU has looked horrible against two top 5 ranked opponents (when the polls come out tomorrow). They're not horrible by any means, just horrible by SEC West standards.

I'm fairly convinced that any SEC West team would win the East with relative ease.