I don’t like to declare things after watching two weeks of football. I really don’t.

It comes off a little too “hot take-y” for me, and unless it’s predicting Mississippi State to win 10 games, that’s not really my style. I’d rather watch things play out before making a sweeping declaration about a team or division or conference.

However, I’m going to break my own rule.

Why? Because if you watched the first two weeks of college football, you know that the SEC West is the best division in America. And frankly, it’s not that close.

Yes, I came up with that take before Arkansas blew a 27-9 lead to Colorado State. I’m aware that’s not the best look for the division.

You know what is a good look for the division? Texas A&M, the fifth-best team in the West, pushing the No. 2 team in the country to the brink.

But make no mistake. The West had far more than moral victories in the first two weeks.

Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

Texas A&M’s loss was actually the West’s first loss against Power 5 competition in nonconference play. And as I mentioned, it was No. 2-ranked Clemson, who last I checked, was a double-digit favorite to win at Kyle Field.

Before the Aggies’ 2-point loss, the West was 5-0 vs. Power 5 competition. Oh, and it was at a plus-99 point differential:

  • Alabama 1-0, plus-37
  • Mississippi State 1-0, plus-21
  • Ole Miss 1-0 plus-20
  • LSU 1-0, plus-16
  • Auburn 1-0, plus-5

Impressive, that is. But it’s actually a lot more impressive when you look a little closer. None of those five  teams won their respective Power 5 nonconference game on their home field.

Let’s add the A&M-Clemson game to the mix just so you can see the quality of opponent we’re talking about (rankings at time game was played):

  • Louisville, won 8 games in 2017
  • Kansas State, won 8 games in 2017
  • Texas Tech, won 6 games in 2017
  • Miami, ranked No. 8
  • Washington, ranked No. 6
  • Clemson, ranked No. 2

So that’s six bowl teams from 2017, and three teams that were ranked in the top-8 nationally. Even though it looks like teams like Louisville and Kansas State will take a step back, the quality of nonconference opponents isn’t lacking. At all.

It wouldn’t surprise me if we’re talking about 5 West teams in the Associated Press Top 25 come Sunday. That’s right. Texas A&M should rise from No. 29 into the Top 25 after losing. That’s how well the Aggies played against one of the national championship favorites.

But even if the Aggies get left out, we’re still talking about Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Mississippi State ranked in the top 17 with their respective key nonconference wins in their back pockets. That last part is the key difference between the West and the Big Ten East, which posted a 4-2 mark vs. nonconference Power 5 foes.

For now, though, Maryland is the only Big Ten East team with a win over a ranked opponent. If not for Texas, the entire Big Ten wouldn’t have a single win vs. a ranked opponent heading into Week 3. Victories against the likes of Pitt and Oregon State won’t exactly turn heads in the selection committee room.

Sure, Ohio State can beat TCU next week, which would help. Still, the Big Ten East contenders could only have one nonconference win vs. a Top-25 team. That’d be an improvement off last year’s goose egg in that department. That matters to the selection committee. That was part of the reason why the Big Ten was left out of the Playoff a year ago in favor of a second SEC West team.

Could that storyline play out again? It certainly doesn’t seem impossible that the West will have a handful of teams in the hunt into November.

And now that the division is established the nation’s best, think about this example for some perspective. What if Auburn and LSU lost their respective nonconference headliners? We’d be looking that game in Week 3 as an elimination game or as a hot-seat bowl like we did a couple years ago. Now, the talk will be about how the winner has multiple wins vs. possible top-10 teams in the first three weeks of the season. The winner of that game will be deserving of a top-4 spot. Period.

From here out, it’ll be considered “beating up on each other” and we’ll talk about how tough of a schedule SEC West teams have. That’s key for an Alabama team that didn’t have a preseason top-25 team on its schedule until November.

I’m starting to get the feeling that the 2018 season could have shades of 2014. It’s incredible to think that the West had four of the top six teams in the Playoff poll in November. I’m not sure that we’ll ever see that perfect storm again.

The West doesn’t have to repeat that feat for one early conclusion to be reached. It should’ve been a natural thought for anyone who watched the first two weeks of the 2018 season.

Clearly, the West is best.