Which SEC West programs are trending up, down or cruising along?
SEC football teams are a lot like stocks or topics on Twitter. Some are trending up, some are trending down and others are just cruising along.
Here’s a look at where each SEC West team currently falls in those categories.
Trending up
Alabama: With four national championships over the last seven seasons, plus the No. 1 ranking in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 Poll for this season, the Crimson Tide has been pointing upward for quite some time.
Bama earned that top ranking even after losing Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry, SEC Defensive Player of the Year Reggie Ragland and three defensive linemen to the NFL. Reeling in the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class will help offset some of those losses.
Alabama still has to decide on a quarterback and is breaking in a new defensive coordinator in Jeremy Pruitt. But behind arguably the greatest college football coach of all time in Nick Saban, there’s only one direction for this team, and for the foreseeable future, it isn’t down.
LSU: The Tigers garnered a first-place vote to rank fifth in the preseason poll. But that’s not the only thing they have going for them.
On offense, they boast the best running back in the SEC — and likely the FBS — in Leonard Fournette. And on defense, it would be surprising if new coordinator Dave Aranda didn’t do a better job than that of his predecessor Kevin Steele.
But as long as Brandon Harris continues to be LSU’s starting quarterback, the Tigers will face questions about how good their offense will be. Plus, even though Les Miles survived last season’s incredibly transparent attempt to replace him, he’s definitely had days of being on more solid ground during his long tenure in Baton Rouge.
Ole Miss: The Rebels go into the season ranked 11th, which means a lot of media types think they will build on their 2015 season, which they capped with their first victory in the Sugar Bowl since 1970. They also enter their Labor Day season opener against Florida State with the SEC’s top returning quarterback in Chad Kelly.
Despite losing Laquon Treadwell, Laremy Tunsil and Robert Nkemdiche to the NFL, Ole Miss returns 14 starters. The Rebels have also secured their fourth straight top 10 recruiting class.
It was good to see Hugh Freeze take responsibility for recent NCAA violations at Ole Miss. But until the NCAA issues a ruling on them, its ongoing investigation could put a damper on what should be another good season in Oxford.
Trending down
Auburn: This is a team that could have — and should have — beaten Florida State in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game. The past two seasons have been the epitome of mediocrity, with the Tigers going just 15-11 over that span.
AU has a revolving door at the defensive coordinator spot, with Steele being the third coach to fill that role since 2014. And despite the fact that — or maybe because he has — three candidates to choose from, Gus Malzahn still hasn’t selected his starting quarterback.
Plus, even after Malzahn received a contract extension earlier this year, his job security remains in question. On top of that, even though it’s a home game, Auburn just might have the toughest season opener in America when it takes on Clemson at Jordan-Hare on Sept. 3.
Mississippi State: Former Bulldogs starting QB Dak Prescott, quite possibly the greatest player in school history, is generating a lot of buzz this NFL preseason. And like Auburn, Mississippi State still has three players — Nick Fitzgerald, Damian Williams and Nick Tiano — vying for the chance to become the first-string signal-caller.
Dan Mullen has entrusted his defense to new coordinator Peter Sirmon, who spent the last two seasons at USC. At least he has returning linebacker Richie Brown — who made a team-leading 109 tackles last season — at his disposal.
On offense, the Bulldogs have some playmakers — senior receiver Fred Ross and Brandon Holloway are among them. But because they lack an experienced starting QB, they will be hard-pressed to improve upon last season’s 9-4 finish.
Texas A&M: The Aggies have an outstanding returning receiving corps in Josh Reynolds, Christian Kirk and Ricky Seals-Jones. On defense, they have the best pair of ends in the SEC in Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall, who are led by one of the top coordinators in the business in John Chavis.
Kyle Field gives A&M one of the best home-field advantages in the country. Kevin Sumlin is the second-highest paid coach in the SEC at $5 million a year.
So why have the Aggies had back-to-back 8-5 seasons? And why did 2015 starting QBs Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray decide to transfer?
They’re legitimate questions. But we may never truly find out the answers.
Cruising along
Arkansas: Let’s get the Razorbacks’ key losses out of the way. Hunter Henry, Denver Kirkland, Alex Collins and Brandon Allen have all taken their talents to the NFL, which would be cause for concern at most programs.
But despite those departures on offense, Arkansas still has 14 returning starters, including nine on defense. Plus, over the last two seasons, the Hogs have shown gradual improvement, going 8-5 last season after finishing 7-6 the year before.
Bret Bielema is definitely making his mark in Fayetteville. The most clear-cut proof of that is Arkansas’ three-game bump in its SEC mark from 2-6 to 5-3.