Since 2009, no team in the nation has come close to matching up to Alabama’s level of success. In that time frame, the Crimson Tide have won three SEC titles and three national championships.

Among SEC teams, Auburn has won a national title and two SEC championships in that span, but the Tigers haven’t maintained that level of success. The Tigers are also the only team to reach multiple national championship games in that time; no other team has won or even reached more than one.

Alabama has been excellent off the field as well, with the top-rated recruiting class in the conference the last five seasons.

Yet many seem to think the Crimson Tide have passed their peak under Nick Saban, their dynastic SEC run at its end. If that’s so, then who is primed to take their seat? Let’s run down the contenders for the throne (with all due respect to the three teams not mentioned here).

Alabama

As we mentioned, the Tide haven’t fallen off a bit in the realm of recruiting. This past recruiting cycle, Saban signed his highest-rated quarterback prospect yet in Blake Barnett, and Alabama’s top-rated class was loaded with blue-chip prospects. While some certainly get a “Saban bump” from recruiting analysts, the Tide are well-stocked with players ready to continue on Alabama’s run.

On top of that, Alabama attracts and develops some of the best coaches in the nation. Kirby Smart has become one of the top DCs in the country, while others like Jeremy Pruitt and Jim McElwain have moved onto more prominent roles since leaving Alabama. As long as Saban is in charge, he’ll keep bringing in that kind of sideline talent, guys like Lane Kiffin and Tosh Lupoi.

The counter is that the rest of the nation has simply caught up. Alabama has dropped two consecutive Sugar Bowls to elite opponents and continues to struggle with the spread offense. Some of the other teams on this list have hung right with the Tide in recruiting as well, pilfering coaches along the way.

Auburn

The Tigers have recent championship pedigree on their side, along with the coach who was largely responsible for unlocking the incredible offense that got them the 2010 title now running the program. Gus Malzahn is known as the conference’s resident offensive genius, and he has the talent on the roster to keep his machine humming; there’s already talk that he could turn Jeremy Johnson into Cam Newton 2.0 (but then he’d have to get Johnson to stay for a senior season).

Auburn also has ramped up it’s facilities, and is in the midst of working on a $145-million stadium upgrade, although that plan has been slowed down a bit. It comes on the heels of player facilities upgrades, a $14-million scoreboard and hopes for a revamped football complex in the next few years.

There’s the issue of competing with Alabama long-term, something Auburn has not been able to sustain throughout program history. For every season or two that the Tigers overtake the Tide, Alabama seems to come roaring right back.

LSU

One of the SEC West powers during the BCS era, LSU looks poised to return to the top of the conference. The Tigers have reeled in two consecutive top-five recruiting classes, which these days is more or less a prerequisite for national title contention. They own the talent-rich state of Louisiana, giving them an inherent advantage over their regional rivals.

H0wever, there is an air of instability around LSU, though, especially coming off a down year. There are rumblings that Les Miles could be on the hot seat, and if LSU’s offense doesn’t improve by leaps this year then Cam Cameron, in the last year of his contract, is almost certainly gone. That ties in with LSU’s consistent inability to find and develop a quarterback, a sticking point during the Miles era. LSU also just lost its respected DC and replaced him with Kevin Steele, a hire that didn’t excite many.

Texas A&M

Here we are: the lurking powerhouse in the SEC. The Aggies have now paired Kevin Sumlin, who many seem to have forgotten was the preeminent genius offensive mind in the conference less than two years ago, with John Chavis, one of the best defensive coordinators in the nation. The Aggies have recruited well enough to thrust themselves into the conversation in the West, and their reputation should only climb with Chavis directing the defense. On top of that, the Aggies have more or less exclusive SEC rights to the fertile recruiting grounds of Texas.

Texas A&M also has some of the deepest pockets and most sparkling facilities in the nation, all fueled by literal billions of dollars that came flowing into the program along with the move to the SEC and the national attention Johnny Manziel brought the Aggies.

The only question now is whether A&M can get it’s on-field results on par with it’s off-field success. Texas A&M has struggled against ranked SEC opponents since moving to the conference, especially at home. Outside of the big conference wins, A&M has all the ingredients to be the next SEC West powerhouse.