Prediction week. It’s almost as good as game week.

We all like to pretend we have a clue what will happen this football season. But unless you’re playing in Las Vegas, or somewhere of that sort, you don’t. I don’t. Nobody does.

Stop us from pretending we do, though.

With that said, good luck finding someone who can decipher the SEC West this year in the preseason, anyway. The geniuses in Birmingham – and that term “geniuses” is thrown around loosely considering my presence there – named Alabama the favorite for the division, but Auburn the favorite for the SEC title.

Well, all right, then.

Breaking it down on a more micro level yields some interesting perspectives, though. Here are some, the three things each team needs to do, or not do as the case may be, to have a shot at the West crown.

Alabama

1. Get a Blake Sims-like performance at quarterback – Don’t expect the quarterback to put up the same numbers as Sims last year. With no Amari Cooper to throw to, expecting that would be crazy. But stability is needed. Sims threw 28 touchdowns and 10 intercepts last year. It’s a fair ratio, not a great one. Something similar from whichever signal-caller wins the job would help ensure Alabama makes the final four again.

2. Figure out the secondary – Put simply, an 11th-best pass defense in a 14-team SEC isn’t good enough to make a return to the College Football Playoff. There are still questions back there, too, The 226 yards allowed per game was middle of the pack when it came nationally. And with no Landon Collins anymore, it will be up to the cornerbacks to hold the fort.

3. Nick Saban and Lane Kiffin have to stay professional – It really isn’t that unlikely. The two showed last year the egos and brilliance can co-exist. To some the Crimson Tide’s season was a disappointment because it didn’t end in a national championship. But an appearance in the inaugural FBS playoff is hardly a bad year. If the two can keep up appearances, it will go a long way to seeing Alabama back there this season.

Arkansas

1. Find a receiver to get 50-plus catches – That receiver doesn’t even have to be a wide receiver. Tight end Hunter Henry would qualify. Coach Bret Bielema has said over and again he likes the depth the Razorbacks have at both positions, but there is no question the unit is seeking a superstar. Henry is the closest thing to that. Keon Hatcher, too, out wide could reach the half-century threshold. While seven or eight receivers could see double-digit catches, one or two standing above the rest would help improve the 105th-ranked passing offense.

2. No more running back injuries – The deepest running back unit in the league lost its top option when Williams was lost for the season in the team’s first fall scrimmage. In his stead steps No. 1B Alex Collins. Behind him are unproven but seemingly-reliable Kody Walker and star-in-the-making freshman Rawleigh Williams III. Bret Bielema practically breeds 1,000-yard rushers behind mammoth and skilled offensive lines and that’s likely again. But an injury to Walker or Williams III would hurt. An injury to Collins would be devastating.

3. Keep up last six games’ defense – The Razorbacks’ D over the back-half of the season was the best in the country. Overall, they were a top 10 defense. Most people outside the Natural State didn’t realize either of those. Yes, the defense loses Darius Philon, Trey Flowers and Martrell Spaight. But, no, it shouldn’t take much of a step back. It might not be the best in the country again, but a top 10 finish for the second consecutive year would be a boon.

Auburn

1. Find a running back – The job was supposed to be Jovon Robinson’s to lose. He was the best junior college recruit in the nation. He hasn’t earned it yet. In fact, as of a couple weeks ago, he was third on the depth chart. Roc Thomas and Peyton Barber were a mutual No. 1. Those two may have upside, but they return just 278 yards last year. That isn’t to say they can’t do more – if Arkansas’ two inexperienced tailbacks can then so can Auburn’s. But it is disappointing on the Plains that Robinson hasn’t taken the job and, pardon the pun, ran with it.

2. Have a top 5 defense – Is it too much to ask? Not nationally. Just in the SEC. If Alabama’s secondary was mediocre last year, Auburn’s was bad. The team was 10th in scoring defense and ninth in overall defense. The insertion of Will Muschamp to defensive coordinator can only help.

3. Jeremy Johnson good as expected – The first-year starter is on the short list for the Heisman Trophy. And that’s with one career game at the FBS level under his belt. It might be a bit of hype, but seemingly everyone is believing it. If Johnson can produce at reasonable rate (think somewhere Cam Newton and Chris Todd) and D’haquille Williams stays on the field, Auburn will be fiery.

LSU

1. Find a quarterback – It is supposed to Brandon Harris. He could not wrest the job away from Anthony Jennings last year but the latter’s off-the-field trouble opened the door for Harris. He still hasn’t totally sealed it, which is troubling. But the positive is that, by most accounts, the rest of the talent on the LSU roster is the best in the SEC. If Harris or Jennings upgrade the position from arguably worse in the league last year to somewhere around 10th or so, watch out.

2. A Leonard Fournette Heisman-type season – It depends who you ask, but a good third polled would probably call Leonard Fournette the best running back in the SEC. It isn’t so much that LSU needs him to have a Heisman Trophy-caliber year to succeed, but depending on the No. 1 above, what Fournette does in 2015 may ultimately prove LSU’s destination. Neither Harris or Jennings are winning games for the Tigers (probably). Fournette will. Or could. A darkhorse conference title rests on his capable shoulders.

3. Prove John Chavis wasn’t the reason – Perhaps the best defensive coordinator in college football left Death Valley and headed to east Texas. LSU defenses under Chavis could practically be counted on to be top 20 every season in scoring and total. How much that continues will bear watching. It shouldn’t drop too much in year one under Kevin Steele thanks in large part to the talent returning.

Mississippi State

1. The best quarterback in the league must prove it – It won’t be enough on its own for the Bulldogs to win the title. Mississippi State is the one team in the seven-team West that doesn’t automatically jump off as “has a real chance.” That isn’t to say it doesn’t have any chance. But to make it, Prescott needs to be invited to New York City come winter.

2. Plug the holes – At one point last year the Bulldogs were the No. 1 team in the country. Now they’re projected last in the West. And they’re not a bad team. Mississippi State lost a boatload, however, to the professional ranks and graduation. Filling those gaps is imperative. Preston Smith, Benardrick McKinney, Matt Wells and Josh Robinson all need capable replacements. Nevermind repeated numbers. Just competency.

3. No injuries on the front line – Prescott can have the season he dreams of if the offensive line keeps the opposition of him. Easier said than done, perhaps, with the loss of three starters, including the staple, center Dillon Day. According to Mississippi State beat writer Michael Bonner, the first-team line looked good, but the depth is a big question mark.

Ole Miss

1. Chad Kelly stays out of trouble – Ole Miss has arguably the second-most talented quarterback in the SEC. Granted, it isn’t a quarterback-heavy league. But Chad Kelly has all the gifts of his uncle, Buffalo Bills icon Jim Kelly. The younger Kelly’s attitude has been trouble before. He didn’t make it at Clemson because of it. Then he was in trouble over the winter, charged with a bevy of crimes including assault and menacing. Coach Hugh Freeze has his fingers crossed.

2. The defense forgets the last three games of last year – The Rebels had the No. 1-ranked defense in the country last year. And this was after giving up 30 or more in two of its final three SEC games. If that can put out of its head, Ole Miss has the potential to be back near the top of FBS again.

3. Like Magnolia State brothers, keep offensive line healthy – At one point in the spring the Rebels had just eight healthy linemen total. It wasn’t a great line to begin with, either. Ole Miss gave up 31 sacks last year. That was 92nd in the nation. Certainly the defense allowed those 30-plus points late was a problem, but an inability to move the ball and keep the quarterback upright, or even comfortable, didn’t help.

Texas A&M

1. Defense must be better than 105th in the nation – Chavis’ move from Baton Rouge will help almost automatically. The question is how much. Is he worth five or six spots? More? Is the talent better? Questions, questions. And there is no real answer to them until the Aggies arrive on the field.

2. Kyle Allen keeps the job – The whole country went nuts last year when Texas A&M absolutely demolished South Carolina in each team’s season and SEC opener. Kenny Hill was Kenny “Trill” and the Aggies skyrocketed in the polls. Flash-forward a few weeks and Allen supplanted Hill, who subsequently transferred. Allen kept Texas A&M around and competitive, good, even. Breathing down his neck is Kyler Murray, the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the United States last year. The Aggies cannot have another half-and-half year.

3. Tra Carson: flash or reality? – The Aggies will throw the ball and throw it often. There is no question Texas A&M’s passing game will be near the top of the SEC. Carson’s role as starting running back needs to gain, however. He was the team’s leading rusher last year, but that total was just 580 yards. Carson must be more than a change-of-pace player. He doesn’t need to run for 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns. But 800 and eight would legitimize the A&M chances.