The SEC West

Earlier, I copped out on a review of the SEC East.  Now, I tackle the west....

Predicted order of finish:

1. Alabama, with a bullet.  They are the sexy pick for a reason.  They are returning more people than the English did at Dunkirk.  They have one of the top two running backs in the conference.  They have three of the top ten defensive players in the conference returning.  Plus, beyond LSU, the West looks beatable.
2. LSU.  Yeah, I know they will lose their staring QB.  This is LSU.  OF COURSE, they will.  The Tigers will rely on defense again and hope the offense is enough.  And it will be, for the most part. 
3. Mississippi State. Reif improves, but the Bizzaro Dawgs regress on defense.  State will still have a good season and a bowl game.  Any reason to leave Starkeville for another game is a good season.
4. Arkansas. Before Davis got hurt, I'd probably flip them to 3.  Davis got hurt. 
5. Auburn. I considered moving them above Arkansas.  We'll see just how good Malzahn is this season.
6. Mississippi.  Good news: They will double their SEC win total. Bad news: They only won one.  Hey, at least you don't go to school in Starkeville.

The West is far more clear cut than the East, especially at the top and bottom.  Realistically, you could flop State, Arkansas and Auburn around.  They will likely finish within a game of each other in conference.  The only wild card is Wilson, the new QB for Arkansas.  He'll be asked to do a lot more than he would have been with Davis in the line up.  If he turns out to be ready, really ready, for that challenge, they move to third, probably easily. 
TD

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