Who’s going to win college football’s toughest division in 2016?

The conference’s 14 SIDs predicted the outcome of the SEC East and the West today. You can read the East predictions here.

With respect to the West, Alabama, who walked away with the conference championship and national title last season, is once again predicted to stay in the driver’s seat. There’s lots of chatter that LSU is ready to make a jump in the pecking order and compete with the Crimson Tide for the top spot. The Tigers return nine starters on both sides of the ball, including superstar Leonard Fournette and veteran quarterback Brandon Harris, and the hype is building for Les Miles’ team.

Ole Miss also looks poised to battle in the West, finishing third in the early projection, while Auburn, Arkansas, Texas A&M and Mississippi State all predicted to finish behind the Rebels this season.

Here’s the predicted order, as posted by AL.com:

  1. Alabama
  2. LSU
  3. Ole Miss
  4. Auburn
  5. Arkansas
  6. Texas A&M
  7. Mississippi State

Obviously, the biggest question surrounding Alabama ahead of the season is the quarterback. With the departure of running back Derrick Henry to the NFL Draft, the spotlight will be on the signal caller. Four players are currently battling for the job — the list includes dynamic freshman Jalen Hurts, Blake Barnett, David Cornwell and Cooper Bateman, who has the most experience out of the group. The Crimson Tide will rely heavily on their defense in 2016, and it will serve as the main strength for the team.