Picking the SEC West this year depends largely on one’s palate.

Back Alabama and you’re trusting Nick Saban’s history and the overall strength of that program. Back Ole Miss and you’re trusting the SEC’s best quarterback in 2016. Back LSU and you’re banking on Leonard Fournette, who could be the most dominant player in college football.

But it’s clear those three teams will be competing for preseason votes when the conference convenes for SEC Media Days in July. The other four teams will be vying for fourth place in the preseason projections.

Fortunately for those four, they all have some sort of redeeming quality.

In addition to the national championship game runs of Auburn (2010, 2013) and Alabama (2009, 2011, 2012, 2015), the SEC West has become very good top to bottom, especially the last two seasons. All seven teams made bowl games in both ’14 and ’15, and there’s a strong chance that feat will occur again this fall.

Let’s take a look at the reasons that each SEC West “underdog” could break into the top three in 2016, as well as a few reasons to like the favorites.

ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE

  • The defense remains elite

Only 11 players can see the field at once. That’s important to keep in mind for a team losing players like A’Shawn Robinson, Reggie Ragland and Cyrus Jones. Long-time coordinator Kirby Smart is gone as well.

But the return of Jonathan Allen, Tim Williams and Ryan Anderson should give the Tide one of the best pass rushes in the country. And with a developing corps of five-star defensive backs, that makes for an often-lethal combination.

Nick Saban’s teams are always going to play stifling run defense. So if coordinator Jeremy Pruitt can reduce the number of big plays allowed, this group once again could dictate strategy for a potential SEC Championship team.

  • Trust in Lane Kiffin

Alabama will start a fourth quarterback in four years on the heels of AJ McCarron (2013), Blake Sims (2014) and Jake Coker (2015). The tag-team backfield of Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake is gone. The offensive line is losing its Rimington Trophy winner at center.

Still, there isn’t much concern on this side of the ball. Coordinator Lane Kiffin has done an excellent job of building offenses around his personnel, and there’s plenty of talent available. Whomever starts at quarterback should be good enough to get the ball to players like Calvin Ridley and O.J. Howard. And even if it’s backfield-by-committee, someone will emerge who can effectively carry the ball.

ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS

  • Newfound balance on offense

Not many expected Arkansas to throw for 300 and even 400 yards in single games last year. Most fans just hoped the team could find an occasional downfield threat. Instead new coordinator Dan Enos and third-year starter Brandon Allen teamed to produce the fifth-best quarterback rating in the entire country.

The team will have to find another quarterback — perhaps little brother Austin Allen — but that player will not lack for capable receiving options. Drew Morgan, Dominique Reed, Jared Cornelius and Jeremy Sprinkle are nothing short of dynamic as a group.

  • A bounce-back year for the secondary

No one is comparing this group to Alabama or Florida on the back end. But the personnel is similar to the unit that helped the defense obliterate foes near the end of the 2014 season.

Arkansas’ pass defense got shredded in 2015. That’s not all on the secondary. A thin group of linebackers struggled in coverage as well, and the pass rush wasn’t great.

But just returning to a reasonable level of play in the secondary should make Robb Smith’s defense formidable enough to chase another winning conference record.

AUBURN TIGERS

  • Offense could return to vintage Gus Malzahn group

We’re not ruling out the possibility that Jeremy Johnson could start for Auburn in 2016. After a wretched start last year, he played a good bit better as the year progressed. But it’s hard not to imagine transfer John Franklin III emulating Nick Marshall and reviving the read-option that became a staple of Malzahn’s offense.

Throw in a full season of Jovon Robinson as the featured back, and the team possibly getting full-force production from its H-back, and Auburn could return to being one of the best running teams in the country.

  • A healthy Carl Lawson

Anecdotally and statistically, Auburn’s defense was much stronger last season when Lawson was healthy.

The Tigers haven’t gotten a full season from Lawson since his true freshman year in 2013. A torn ACL in the spring of 2014 and a hip injury suffered during the season opener in 2015 cost him a lot of time. But at his best, Lawson at least has the potential to be one of the best pass rushers in the SEC.

There are a lot of “if” statements regarding the defensive line in ’16. “If” Lawson can stay healthy. “If” Montravius Adams can play a little closer to his physical potential. “If” 2015 class gem Byron Cowart can develop into an important piece. But the unit has the potential to be one of the better groups in the SEC.

LSU TIGERS

  • An improved passing game

I’m not suggesting that Brandon Harris is going to morph into Aaron Rodgers his year. But he’ll have every opportunity to be an upper-echelon starter.

Color it however you’d like, but LSU finished seventh in the SEC last season in terms of passer rating. Harris went from deer-in-the-headlights as a true freshman to sometimes pretty good sophomore. If he can continue to limit his mistakes while evolving into a player who can occasionally make game-winning throws, LSU will have a chance to win the division.

Les Miles and Cam Cameron are under a lot of pressure to throw the ball effectively. With Leonard Fournette running the ball and talented receivers like Travin Dural and Malachi Dupre, the pieces exist for yet another step forward in the passing game.

  • Change (for the better?) on defense

LSU’s defense largely disappointed in 2015, its first season without John Chavis. But the team replaced its coordinator for the second consecutive year, this time with Wisconsin’s Dave Aranda.

The Tigers didn’t lose as many juniors to early NFL draft entry as they have in recent seasons. There are potential stars on all three levels of the defense, headlined by Arden Key, Kendell Beckwith and Jamal Adams.

Aranda should put this unit in position to take advantage of that talent once again. He did more with less at Wisconsin, so it’s easy to project a great season out of LSU’s defense in 2016.

MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS

  • Dan Mullen’s track record

Replacing a star quarterback in the SEC isn’t easy, as we saw at Florida after Tim Tebow and Auburn after Cam Newton. Even LSU (after Zach Mettenberger) and Georgia (after Aaron Murray) had trouble.

Dak Prescott led Mississippi State to a combined 19 wins the last two seasons, a memorable stretch that will always be part of Bulldogs football lore. But Mullen has produced good quarterbacks for a long time, going back to his days as an Urban Meyer assistant.

The team needs some help from its running game in 2016, but don’t expect a gigantic drop-off on offense, even with a new quarterback.

  • A competitive front seven

Mississippi State has undergone more defensive turnover than most in the last two seasons, including a change at coordinator following the ’14 and ’15 campaigns.

Still, senior linebacker Richie Brown could lead the SEC in tackles after finishing fifth last season. And A.J. Jefferson will have an opportunity to inherit alpha status following Preston Smith (2014) and Chris Jones (2015).

The Bulldogs under Mullen have landed occasional blue-chip players in the front seven, but more than that the program has done an excellent job of developing three-star types, especially up front on defense. Play tough at the line of scrimmage and against the run once again and Mississippi State will have a foundation that should allow it to be competitive.

OLE MISS REBELS

  • A formidable passing game

Chad Kelly could become the first SEC quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. Even if he falls short of that milestone, there isn’t much of a concern for the team’s passing game even with left tackle Laremy Tunsil and receiver Laquon Treadwell leaving early as likely first-round NFL draft picks.

Quincy Adeboyejo, Damore’ea Stringfellow, Markell Pack and Evan Engram are just the beginning of the list when it comes to legitimate SEC pass-catching options. The offensive line is replacing a lot of experienced parts, but Ole Miss’ tempo (fastest in the SEC in 2015) and Kelly’s mobility should help offset anything the line gives up in pass protection.

If the Rebels can approximate last season’s passing game, the team will have an opportunity to compete against anyone.

  • Talent galore

We’ll wait and see what comes out of an NCAA inquiry into the team’s football program. But coach Hugh Freeze has established himself as one of the best recruiters in the country. The notion that this team’s “window” would close once the stars of the 2013 class left for the NFL draft should prove false immediately.

Ole Miss added three more composite five-star players in its ’16 class. While the Rebels don’t quite boast the depth of Alabama or LSU, there may not be another team in the SEC that can boast better across-the-roster talent.

TEXAS A&M AGGIES

  • Continuity on offense

At times in 2015 it seemed like the Aggies were fighting each other more than they were deterred by opposing defenses. Early accounts indicate that Trevor Knight has been accepted as a respected leader of this unit. Coordinator Noel Mazzone is a steady veteran hand.

That may be all it takes to unlock the team’s wealth of talent at wide receiver. If Speedy Noil can return to his 2014 form, the team will field three legitimate All-SEC contenders (Christian Kirk, Josh Reynolds). Texas A&M doesn’t need Knight to be Chad Kelly; if he can get rid of the ball quickly and get it into the hands of the talented receivers, they’ll be able to make plays on their own.

  • Intimidating pass rush

If Texas A&M’s opponents are forced to throw the ball in less advantageous situations — down in the second half or on third-and-long — this Aggies team is built to take advantage.

Entering the season, Myles Garrett is the premier pass rusher in the SEC, if not nationally. But Daeshon Hall, his bookend, is no stiff himself.

Add in young, developing players like Daylon Mack and Armani Watts and there’s enough talent on the rest of the defense to at least back up a good offense.