Perception throughout the country is that the SEC is down from where it was only a few years ago, and the only way for the SEC to restore its former golden image is to win another national championship.

Think about it: In the last two years, the SEC has still had the most ranked teams at the end of each season, it’s still produced the most first-round draft picks and signed the most five-star recruits. It’s continued to outperform the rest of the nation in virtually every metric imaginable.

The difference, of course, is that after winning seven straight national titles the SEC is now in the midst of a two-year drought.

So it seems rather simple that the only way the SEC can reassert itself as the dominant conference in college football is to return to the top in the form of a national championship victory. And if that’s going to happen, it’s likely going to happen to a team from the SEC West, which is why the West is now tasked with winning back the SEC’s national respect.

The disparity in talent between the East and West divisions has only grown in the last two or three years. Florida began to sink in the post-Urban Meyer era, and at the same time Tennessee drowned in the pool of Derek Dooley’s failures. Heck, Vanderbilt was one of the most relevant teams in the East for a few years in that time, if that gives you an idea of where the division was at.

Meanwhile, Alabama enjoyed a brief dynasty, LSU kept dominating with its defense, Auburn hired Gus Malzahn, Ole Miss hired Hugh Freeze, Arkansas hired Rose Bowl winner Bret Bielema and A&M joined the league and brought Johnny Manziel with it.

In a span of just three years, all the SEC’s power shifted to the West. So to reiterate, if the SEC is going to win back its respect in the form of an eighth national title in 10 years, it’s going to have to rely heavily on the West.

Out East, there are really only two teams capable of winning a championship: Georgia and Tennessee. But UT, while wildly talented, may need one more year to develop its incredibly young roster before it can compete for championships every year. And Georgia, while perhaps one of the 10 most talented teams in America, has a history of losing one more game than it should, which is why Richt has never even played for a national title in 15 years at a school where football is life.

Those teams have championship talent, but if you’re holding your breath waiting for one of them to represent the SEC in a national title game, you’re likely going to suffocate.

It’s out West that the SEC’s title hopes lie. Alabama has proven it can get to the big stage and give an even bigger performance before a national audience. Auburn and LSU can say the same, as all three schools have multiple title game appearances since 2007.

And behind those three there’s still plenty of talent. Ole Miss may have four first-round NFL talents on its roster, including the top two picks in next year’s draft. A&M now has a John Chavis-led defense to match its stunning spread offense. Mississippi State has the most dangerous weapon in the SEC in Dak Prescott, and Arkansas has the SEC’s most veteran quarterback and a pair of 1,000-yard rushers back in the fold.

We told you the West was better, and now you see why. And because all the power lies on one side of a conference looking to regain national respect, there are some concerns the SEC faces in 2015.

First, because the West is so darn good top to bottom, parity is a major issue. There’s a great chance the West division champ could have two losses entering the SEC title game, effectively eliminating them from the four-team College Football Playoff that features fewer bids than there are power conferences.

Even though a division champ with two losses would only indicate winning the deepest division in the nation, the selection committee and fans of other conferences likely won’t see it that way. So the West being too good and feasting on itself would definitely work against the SEC, even though it’d be a product of overwhelming talent across the board.

The other fear is that the East champion beats the West champ in Atlanta to steal the SEC’s playoff spot. A one-loss Georgia or Tennessee (or Missouri, because I’m now scared to ever count the Tigers out) would indeed earn a playoff bid for winning the SEC championship game, but do we really think any of those teams could finish the job upon arriving at the playoff?

Last year’s Alabama team was overmatched by the lowest seed in the tournament. This year, Ohio State may be better than last, and TCU is definitely better upon returning 10 starters on the nation’s best offense. Throw an underclassmen-heavy Tennessee team into that playoff, or a Georgia team playing in the biggest game of the Richt era, and it’s not likely the SEC is going to come out on top.

What the conference really needs is for Alabama to return to its winning ways of 2009-12, or for Auburn to replicate its 2010 Cam Newton-led season with Jeremy Johnson under center and Will Muschamp turning around the defense.

That’s why it’s the West that is going to have to win back the SEC’s national respect. Can it get the job done? Definitely. But will it get the job done? I suppose that’s why we’ll all be watching this fall.