At the beginning of the season, Alabama was atop the SEC West Division hierarchy. Boom, the Tide got knocked off by Ole Miss.

The Rebels replaced Bama as the darlings of the division after that. Boom, Ole Miss got embarrassed by Florida.

How does that target on your jersey feel, Texas A&M and LSU?

The Aggies and Tigers are the only unbeaten teams left in the West and now control their own destiny. But so did Alabama and Ole Miss only a few weeks ago.

It is a tad different being the hunted and the hunter. Still, the place to be is the former.

In order, here is how the battle for the West stands:

  1. LSU
  2. Texas A&M
  3. Ole Miss
  4. Alabama

LSU is ahead of the Aggies, simply because when the two play it will be in Tiger Stadium.

Auburn, Arkansas and Mississippi State are done in the division race. It is a four-team race, and in a sense, a three-and-a-half team race for the title.

Alabama had a great win over Georgia last week, but the Tide needs help. It must win out and hope for the others to lose. Especially Ole Miss, since it already beat the Tide.

Like Bama, Ole Miss still has LSU and Texas A&M on the schedule and if they take care of those two, the Rebels can claim the division’s spot in Atlanta.

With the exception of Ole Miss-Alabama, all these still must play one another. It is essentially a round-robin tournament.

There are a few games that will decide the division, here are the main ones:

  • Oct. 17: Alabama at Texas A&M
  • Oct. 24: Texas A&M at Ole Miss
  • Nov. 7: LSU at Alabama
  • Nov. 21: LSU at Ole Miss
  • Nov. 28: Texas A&M at LSU

That six-week stretch is probably the most important in this year’s college football schedule. It could start with Alabama being eliminated off the bat, or conceivably, coming down to a division playoff game the Saturday after Thanksgiving when the Aggies go to Baton Rouge.

By the way, Arkansas, Auburn and Mississippi State are all still capable of winning games, so the hunted must look out for them. LSU still plays Florida in a couple of weeks. Just ask Ole Miss about the Gators.

In this uncertain race, there is one thing everyone can agree upon: Texas A&M and LSU are going to get everything their opponent has the rest of the season.

Boom. Let the real season begin.