“And that’s how the West was won.”

I’m assuming that the sentence that preceded had something to do with Alabama or LSU. After all, we’re talking about the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country, both of whom look like they’re heading toward a massive, de-facto division title in a couple short weeks.

But even though Alabama and LSU are in the driver’s seat, plenty of other things could decide the toughest division in college football.

These 5 specific things are what I believe will determine who represents the West in Atlanta:

1. Tua Tagovailoa’s ankle

Duh.

Obviously there’s a lot riding on how Tagovailoa bounces back from the “tightrope” surgery that he had done for the 2nd time in as many seasons (though to different ankles). If he is able to return to form in such a small window, then obviously Alabama is still in favorable position to run the table with LSU making the trip to Tuscaloosa this year. And if he learned how to play with a post-surgery ankle based on what he went through last year, that’s a huge advantage, too.

But if Tagovailoa can’t extend plays or roll out of the pocket like we’re used to seeing him do, that could play into the hands of an LSU defense that’s playing better of late. Shoot, it could play into the hands of an Auburn defense that’s playing extremely well itself.

If there’s any sort of aggravation with Tagovailoa’s ankle, Alabama is a more beatable team with Mac Jones. Period. That’s not to say he can’t step in and save the day, but clearly, Jones can’t do everything that Tagovailoa does. That’s just a statement of fact.

How Tagovailoa’s ankle fares the rest of 2019 could determine far more than a division race. It could determine who wins the national championship.

2. LSU’s continued defensive improvement

Dating to the middle of the 3rd quarter against Florida, LSU’s defense allowed 13 points in an 85-minute stretch (6 came via a garbage time touchdown at Mississippi State). With Grant Delpit and K’Lavon Chaisson at full strength, the Tigers have recently looked like we thought they were going to entering 2019. With Derek Stingley and Kristian Fulton, there’s not a better cornerback duo in America.

With how historically prolific the LSU offense has been, it’s scary to think that LSU could actually get better down the stretch. I wouldn’t rule that out at this point.

Everyone seems to be talking about how we’re expecting a Big 12-like game between Alabama and LSU in a couple of weeks. The Tigers’ defense might have more of a say than some think in regards to that.

We’ll get a good idea of LSU’s defensive improvement this weekend against Gus Malzahn’s run-heavy offense.

3. Auburn’s offensive progression

Speaking of Malzahn’s offense, what if I told you that Auburn actually controls its fate to Atlanta? You’d probably say, “wait, really?” Yes, really. Obviously it’s an extremely daunting path beginning this weekend with a trip to Death Valley. Auburn is the lone common opponent on the remaining schedule for Alabama and LSU.

Well, besides Arkansas. But that doesn’t count.

I want to see this weekend how much Bo Nix has grown from his underwhelming performance in The Swamp. Can he limit the turnovers and the costly, drive-you-out-of-field-goal-range sacks? Will he take on a bigger role in Boobie Whitlow’s absence? Will he and Malzahn do a better job of giving Anthony Schwartz room to operate in space?

It’s easy to answer those questions at Arkansas. It’s totally different when we’re talking about needing to keep pace with the likes of LSU and Alabama.

Auburn’s focus isn’t on “playing spoiler” because it still has the aforementioned path to a division title. But even in a loss this weekend, the Tigers can still be plenty dangerous down the stretch. And if they do make those necessary strides by the time the Iron Bowl rolls around — with the possible return of Whitlow — then this division race could get plenty interesting after the LSU-Alabama game.

4. The destructiveness of Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson

If you’ve never had the privilege or watching the Auburn defensive linemen take over a game, I encourage you to watch it sometime. I’d compare it to watching a bear catch salmon with its hands and then bite into it like it hasn’t eaten in weeks.

It’s not just the numbers, though those are plenty good, too (Davidson has 8.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks with 2 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery while Brown has 5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks with 2 fumbles forced and 2 fumble recoveries).

Can Brown and Davidson take over against LSU or Alabama? Neither Joe Burrow nor Tua Tagovailoa has seen a defensive line that can dominate like Auburn’s. If the Tigers can generate pressure with just 3 down linemen, that impacts a pair of quarterbacks who have become extremely successful at handling blitzes and finding open receivers.

Brown and Davidson are a rare combination, but if they have success against LSU and Alabama, you can bet that a bunch of Playoff contenders will take note of the importance of what that does to take those prolific offenses out of their usual rhythm.

5. A&M’s late-season motivation

This is an overlooked element to this whole division picture. No, I’m not saying the Aggies are going to win the division. They already have 2 SEC losses. But if it works out that a division title is still up for grabs heading into the final weekend of the regular season — perhaps both Alabama and LSU have a loss — A&M could have an under-the-radar chance to play spoiler.

Would I pick A&M to beat LSU on a given day? Absolutely not. But by that point in the season, A&M will have faced Trevor Lawrence, Tagovailoa and Jake Fromm. They won’t be scared of the LSU offense. Mike Elko’s defense has been better than advertised.

The question is how motivated A&M will be if bowl eligibility is already clinched and it’s the difference between winning 6 games or 7, especially if a deflating loss at Georgia comes the week before the trip to LSU.

Granted, last year’s A&M team was plenty motivated for the showdown with LSU without a division title or a feat like bowl eligibility or 10 wins up for grabs. That was in Year 1 with Jimbo Fisher with the excitement still fresh and there was a strong desire to end the losing streak to LSU.

There’s no guarantee there’s that same type of never-say-die attitude the end of a somewhat disappointing Year 2, but A&M has potential to the “nothing to lose” team that could give LSU everything it can handle for the 2nd year in a row.