The 2017 regular season ended in a thrilling fashion for the SEC West. For only the second time in history, the division came down to the winner of the Iron Bowl.

We all saw how it all turned out. Auburn got the head-to-head victory, but Alabama got the last laugh — walking away with yet another national championship after beating Georgia 26-23 in overtime.

Both teams are already facing significant turnover as spring training approaches. Which team has the best chance of overcoming those losses, though?

The case for Alabama

If there’s one thing that heavily favors the Tide, it’s the youth of the offense. Six true freshmen made a significant impact in the national championship — and that was just on the offensive side of the ball.

  • QB Tua Tagovailoa: 14-for-24 (58.3 percent), 166 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
  • RB Najee Harris: 6 rushes, 64 yards
  • WR DeVonta Smith: 1 reception, 41 yards, 1 TD
  • WR Henry Ruggs III: 3 receptions, 29 yards, 1 TD
  • WR Jerry Jeudy: 1 reception, 20 yards
  • OT Alex Leatherwood: Filled in admirably for Jonah Williams

Alabama only lost one starter along the offensive line (C Bradley Bozeman). The emergence of Leatherwood — and maybe Jedrick Wills — should help mitigate that loss.

The same could be said for the loss of the top three weapons in the passing game, which includes star WR Calvin Ridley. Those three freshman receivers mentioned above should go a long way in replacing the weapons lost.

With that said, the offense will have to carry the weight; the defense is being overhauled.

The case against Alabama

It would be foolish to think Alabama would ever field a poor defense under Nick Saban. The talent alone will always make them competitive on a year-to-year basis.

That doesn’t mean their ability to reload won’t be tested in 2018.

The defense’s biggest hurdle in 2017 was having to replace Jonathan Allen, Ryan Anderson and Tim Williams. They accounted for a huge portion of the 68.5 percent of the sack production that was being lost (28.5 of the 54 sacks).

While they weren’t as productive in that area, the 2017 defense still finished No. 13 in the country in sacks (40).

This season, it’ll be the defense’s ability to replace playmakers in the secondary. That position group accounted for 12 interceptions last season. But it’s losing six of its top seven players. Deionte Thompson is the only returning DB who had an INT last year, and he had just one.

Add in the losses of NT Da’Ron Payne and LBs Rashaan Evans and Shaun Dion Hamilton, there’s a lot of questions surrounding this defense in 2018.

The case for Auburn

Auburn’s defensive line was one of the country’s best this past season. Yes, one the of the main stars of the group, Jeff Holland (13 TFL, 10 sacks), decided to leave early for the NFL. But this group still has a chance to make some noise.

In fact, it’s possible that the unit — which includes star power from Derrick Brown (9 sacks), Marlon Davidson (6.5) and Dontavius Russell (6.5) — could be even better.

It also needs to be noted that the offense returns QB Jarrett Stidham (3,311 total yards, 22 TDs) — as well as his top 5 options in the passing game. Among those is Ryan Davis, who led the team in receptions (84), receiving yards (815) and receiving touchdowns (5).

Another positive for the Tigers is they’ll be returning both coordinators — Chip Lindsey and Kevin Steele. Alabama, on the other hand, have to replace Brian Daboll (new Bills OC) and Jeremy Pruitt (new Tennessee HC). In addition, they lost DBs coach Derrick Ansley.

The case against Auburn

The passing game should be in good hands. The run game, on the other hand? That’s a major question mark.

The Tigers are losing two players who have put up a 1,200-yard season in the past two years. Kamryn Pettway had 1,224 yards and 7 TDs in 2016. Kerryon Johnson followed it up with an even more impressive run — rushing for an SEC-best 1,391 yards and 18 TDs.

That leaves 5-10, 182-pound Kam Martin as the returning leader at the position. Granted, he ran for 453 yards on 74 carries — which makes him the only running back to average over 6 yards per carry.

Still, there are questions as to whether he can handle a larger workload in the SEC with his smaller frame. It’s possible that Malik Miller, Devan Barrett or incoming freshman Asa Martin could help ease that workload to provide a complementary run game.

The offensive line also has holes.

There are still pieces in place with Mike Horton, Prince Tega Wanogho and Marquel Harrell. But they’ll also be looking to replace 101 career starts among three players — Braden Smith (41 consecutive starts), Austin Golson (38 consecutive starts) and Darius James (22 starts).

The final say

Both teams will continue to have uncertainty as we continue into the offseason. The loss of top junior prospects such as Holland, Johnson and others for Auburn — as well as Minkah Fitzpatrick, Ronnie Harrison and Ridley for Alabama — won’t be easy.

Special teams must be addressed, too. The Tigers will lose one of the top kickers in the country (Daniel Carlson) while the Crimson Tide will be looking to replace their kicker (Andy Pappanastos) and star punter (J.K. Scott).

Auburn has experience getting guys to step up for departed players — i.e. Carl Lawson in 2016 — but Alabama has nearly perfected its assembly line.

That would have tipped things in favor of Alabama, but Auburn returning both coordinators means there won’t be as much turnover from a coaching standpoint.

Just like last year’s regular season matchup, this competition will come down to the wire — with either team having the chance to prevail in the end.