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Realigning a 20-team SEC Conference: SEC West

Kendall Hilton
·4 min read
24

The SEC West is the toughest division in football and has been for a few years now.

A realignment could change that, especially if it involves one of the division’s top dogs. In our SEC East realignment, we put the Auburn Tigers in the division with a couple of ACC teams, making the division stronger than ever.

Although Clemson and Florida State remain hypotheticals, the inclusion of Texas and Oklahoma in the SEC is a reality. Consequently, the SEC faces a challenge in determining how to navigate a potential realignment and schedule changes that will result from the arrival of these former Big 12 teams in 2024.

For Arkansas, a realignment could change the program’s trajectory, and really not sure in which direction. So for entertainment purposes only, let’s realign the SEC West.

Alabama Crimson Tide

Sep 17, 2022; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban brings his team onto the field for warm ups prior to the game against Louisiana Monroe Warhawks at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2022; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban brings his team onto the field for warm ups prior to the game against Louisiana Monroe Warhawks at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

No need to make the kings of the SEC West move. Since Saban walked on campus in 2007, Alabama has won 11 division titles.

Get more Alabama news, analysis and opinions on Roll Tide Wire 

LSU Tigers

Dec 28, 2019; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; LSU Tigers mascot leads cheerleaders and the team onto the field before the 2019 Peach Bowl college football playoff semifinal game between the LSU Tigers and the Oklahoma Sooners at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 28, 2019; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; LSU Tigers mascot leads cheerleaders and the team onto the field before the 2019 Peach Bowl college football playoff semifinal game between the LSU Tigers and the Oklahoma Sooners at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The Tigers are the reigning SEC West champs, the program’s 11th overall.

Get more news, analysis, and opinions on LSU Wire. 

Arkansas Razorbacks

The Razorbacks only have four division titles since joining the SEC in 1992. The last came in 2006 but the Hogs are still fighting for that first conference title.

Mississippi State Bulldogs

Starkville has grown to be one of the best college towns in the country. Mississippi State hasn’t had much success on the football field, with only one division title in 1998. They are a staple in the SEC West thanks to their rivalries.

Ole Miss Rebels

The Rebels were one of the original teams in the SEC but has never won the division. Lane Kiffin has done a great job at keeping them relevant, and they’ve had some big games in the last decade.

Missouri Tigers

Nov 25, 2022; Columbia, Missouri, USA; A helmet of a Missouri Tigers player during the first half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 25, 2022; Columbia, Missouri, USA; A helmet of a Missouri Tigers player during the first half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Since Missouri joined the SEC in 2012, the Tigers have won the SEC East division twice, the only two seasons they’ve won 10+ games. Geographically it makes more sense for them to be in the west.

Texas A&M Aggies

Nov 26, 2022; College Station, Texas, USA; A view of the 12th man logo and Texas A&M Aggies fans and students during the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the LSU Tigers at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 26, 2022; College Station, Texas, USA; A view of the 12th man logo and Texas A&M Aggies fans and students during the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the LSU Tigers at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Texas A&M came to the SEC with Missouri but was placed in the same division as Alabama and LSU. Their biggest contribution to the division so far is a Heisman-winning quarterback by the name of Johnny Manziel.

Get more news, analysis, and opinions on Aggies Wire. 

TCU Horned Frogs

The Horned Frogs came to the Big 12 because it was a stronger division and found success. Now they are left to figure out if they should stay in the Big 12 since the two biggest teams in the division are leaving. They might as well join them.

Texas Longhorns

The Longhorns are bringing a Manning with them to the SEC. Will Arch add to the family’s legacy of quarterback play in the SEC?

Get more news, opinions, and analysis on Longhorns Wire

Oklahoma Sooners

The Sooner Schooner during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the UTEP Miners at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. Oklahoma won 45-13.<br>Sooner Schooner
The Sooner Schooner during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the UTEP Miners at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. Oklahoma won 45-13.
Sooner Schooner

The Sooners will have a better chance at succeeding in the SEC West than the Longhorns and could be a real disruptor in the SEC.

Get more news, analysis, and opinions on Sooners Wire.

Story originally appeared on Razorbacks Wire