Editor’s note: This is the third story in a four-part daily series this week on the SEC West’s current stranglehold over its sister division and the rest of college football.

When Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen, an offensive guru and two-time national champion on Urban Meyer’s staff at Florida, is the least talked about coach in a seven-team division, it speaks volumes on the overall coaching depth within that group. Even Bret Bielema, coming off a winless league season at Arkansas, was arguably the Big Ten’s best during his successful tenure at Wisconsin.

Three much-needed elements give this year’s SEC West head coaches the prestigious title of college football’s ‘top program leaders’ and they are: championship pedigrees, the ability to recruit at a consistent elite level and motivating players by philosophy.

What they’re saying

Former Alabama quarterback and current SEC Network analyst Greg McElroy to CBS Sports: “The West has been strong ever since Saban arrived in 2007 and to a certain extent, that’s part of the reason for the ebbs and flows of the SEC. I think some programs have seen the success he’s had in a relatively short amount of time and they’ve been able to really commit themselves to recruiting because he is such a fierce recruit and has gone to places all over the country.”

Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze to Fox News: “All seven teams should be ranked in the Top 25. The SEC West is that strong.”

Fox Sports analyst Stewart Mandel from his Wednesday mailbag: “The SEC West is unquestionably loaded, so much so that last Saturday, Arkansas went on the road and beat Texas Tech by three touchdowns — and the Razorbacks will still likely be fortunate to finish sixth in the West. Now, does that mean the division has five of the 10 best teams in the country? I doubt it, but I don’t have as much of a problem with its current standing as some.”

Auburn coach Gus Malzahn during Monday’s press conference previewing Kansas State: “It’s the best division in college football and I don’t think it’s even close.”

What we’re saying

Jon Cooper, SDS’ SEC-wide writer: “The SEC West has better in-game coaches (than the East), more national championships between them, a facilities-stadium advantage and they’re all dynamic recruiters.”

Jordan Cox, SDS’ Georgia and Auburn writer: “I think that once the West began to separate itself as the tougher division during the SEC’s unprecedented run, recruits began trending that way. Four and five stars from Georgia, Florida, Louisiana and Texas began to drift toward programs in the West which widened the chasm that much more.”

Ethan Levine, SDS’ Kentucky, Ole Miss and Mississippi St. writer: “The first, and perhaps most obvious, factor is recruiting. The numbers speak for themselves — SEC West teams collect higher-rated talents in greater volume than any other conference in America, and it’s no riddle as to how the West’s advantage in talent has translated into an edge on the field. It’s pretty simple, actually: when you recruit better players than everyone else, you’ve got an immediate advantage over everyone else for the next 3-5 years.”