Although the SEC West was frequently touted as the toughest division in all of college football, the 2014 season did not end well for its top teams. Alabama lost its playoff game against Ohio State while Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Auburn, and LSU all lost their bowl games. The one team that ended with momentum was Arkansas, the same team that didn’t have a single conference win in 2013.
Alabama Crimson Tide
A 12-2 season ended in disappointment in the national semifinal against Ohio State. The 42-35 loss was no fluke and exposed Alabama as far less than invincible. Alabama again boasts the top ranked recruiting class for 2015 as projected by ESPN.
Top ranked recruiting classes are part of the Bama tradition with head coach Nick Saban, but a defense that has been rendered helpless by the better teams in the country must be tightened. A new quarterback must also emerge. The offense, while improved, was at times inconsistent and the field goal kicking has been a nightmare. Alabama also suffers from impossible yearly expectations that no team can realistically meet. This remains as good of a program as any in the nation but also hardly flawless.
Mississippi State Bulldogs
The return of quarterback Dak Prescott will help but the question must be asked as to whether or not head coach Dan Mullen and this program have peaked. The Bulldogs lost three out of their last four games to finish 10-3. The Bulldogs won 10 games for just the second time since 1999 and for the third time in program history. That record is indicative of a program that has limits historically. A defense that ranked 86th overall in the nation must be tightened to compliment Prescott and an offense that should be among the best in the league. ESPN projects a strong recruiting class that will rank 14th in the nation, however no one in the SEC returns fewer starters from last season than the Bulldogs.
Ole Miss Rebels
Ole Miss is also a program that shows historic limits with just one 10-win season since 1971. The Rebels peaked this year at 7-0 that included the Week 5 victory over Alabama. The Rebels lack of depth caught up with them down the stretch as they finished 2-4 and were destroyed by TCU 42-3 in the Peach Bowl.
The good news is that head coach Hugh Freeze has clearly improved the program in his three years on the job and Ole Miss has a strong recruiting class that is projected to rank 17th in the nation by ESPN. Freeze has built one of the better defenses in the nation but the offense has lacked consistency. As is the case with Mississippi State, the ultimate question is if there is a limit to how far this program can realistically go.
Auburn Tigers
In his second year as head coach, Gus Malzahn got a solid taste of humble pie. Malzahn was the toast of the town in 2013 after leading Auburn to a 12-2 record and within seconds of winning the national championship in his rookie season. Malzahn leads a program that has not been able to sustain championship success since Pat Dye was head coach and led Auburn to four consecutive top 10 finishes from 1986-89.
Since Dye departed, the program has had incredible highs but also frustrating lows and Malzahn’s biggest challenge will be to create a consistent contender. Auburn got every break in the world in 2013 but things evened out for “God’s Tigers” in 2014. Defensive coordinators also figured out how to better defend Malzahn’s zone read offense.
Will Muschamp arrives after failing as Florida’s head coach to fix a defense that ranked 67th overall in the nation last year. On offense, Jeremy Johnson will work to solidify his status as the new starting quarterback. Possibly no team in the West will have as much intrigue as this one.
LSU Tigers
Head coach Les Miles has struggled to consistently field a dependable offense and reliable quarterback. He paid the price for an 8-5 season as the Tigers lost three out of their last four games. Fixing the offense is job one, two and three for Miles and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron.
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Texas A&M Aggies
The Aggies also finished 8-5 and had a letdown season in transition from the Johnny Manziel era. John Chavis has arrived from LSU to fix a defense that ranked 105th overall in the nation last year. Head coach Kevin Sumlin will enter his fourth season facing the most pressure since he arrived at College Station.
Arkansas Razorbacks
Arkansas had the most impressive finish of any team in the West with four wins in their final six games that included back to back shutouts over LSU and Ole Miss. The combination of a strong running game and defense gives head coach Bret Bielema’s Hogs the foundation for bigger things in 2015. This will be the trendy team to pick as a challenger to Alabama in 2015.
