When the preseason Associated Press Top 25 emerges at noon ET on Sunday, it won’t be shocking to find seven SEC West teams included. That nearly happened in the preseason USA Today Coaches Poll.

Every head coach in the division now makes at least $4 million per season.

It’s a division that includes, arguably, four of the top five SEC favorites, four of the top five quarterbacks and the four highest-paid assistant coaches in the country. Since 2007, the West Division also has claimed five different national championships by three different programs.

The problem is, every fan base is convinced, or mostly convinced, that it will finish at or near the top of the division. Conference play is a zero-sum game, though. If one team wins, another loses. So someone must finish last in this brutal division.

The SDS staff debated which three teams will finish in the bottom half of the seven-team division. Let us know your opinion as well.

WHICH THREE SEC WEST TEAMS WILL FINISH AT THE BOTTOM OF THE DIVISION AND WHY?

Brad Crawford (@BCrawfordSDS): Arkansas, Texas A&M and Mississippi State — in that order

This is a very difficult question considering the answers will infuriate three fan bases, but there has to be a couple teams that fall out of the race in college football’s most competitive division regardless of how they would fare talent-wise against other Power 5 squads.

The loss of Jonathan Williams for the season is substantial for the Razorbacks considering he’s an 1,100-yard rusher and touchdown machine. Yes, Arkansas has depth at the position, but Williams’ absence eliminates the feared 1-2 punch in the running game and puts a ton of pressure on Kody Walker (who isn’t yet proven, but talented).

As for the Aggies and Bulldogs, I’m not worried about the offensive production for either team. It’s the treacherous schedules that will prove fatal. All three of these teams will reach the postseason, but none will contend in the West.

Kevin Duffey (@KevinDuffey): LSU, Arkansas and Mississippi State

I’m skeptical about LSU’s season simply due to the quarterback position. While LSU has talent elsewhere, you can’t compete in the SEC West with such a one-dimensional offense … even if that dimension is Leonard Fournette. Similarly, Arkansas will struggle in the passing game and if either LSU or Arkansas is behind late in games, it’s going to be difficult to come out on top.

Ole Miss has a tough road game in mid-September at Tuscaloosa, but they could easily be 7-1 going into a tough road game at Auburn to close out October. Following the Auburn road game, Ole Miss gets both Arkansas and LSU at home (the one concern would be that the Arkansas game is the 10th consecutive game on the Ole Miss schedule without a bye week). Even if the Rebels get blown out in both road games against the Alabama teams, Ole Miss could easily win nine or 10 games. I like Ole Miss to finish third in the division ahead of Texas A&M.

Christopher Smith (@csmithSDS): Arkansas, Texas A&M, Mississippi State

I don’t think the injury to Jonathan Williams is all that significant to the Razorbacks’ rushing totals, but my non-Fayetteville impression is that he’s more of a leader than Alex Collins. My main hesitation with Arkansas as a .500 or better SEC program in 2015 is how the team will be able to win close games in the fourth quarter with that pass offense, especially if the Razorbacks are trailing and need to throw down the field.

The Aggies will need another year to mature on both sides of the ball, especially along the line of scrimmage, though Texas A&M should get after opposing quarterbacks. Mississippi State looks like a good, not great, team. That’s not enough in this year’s SEC West. I suspect the offensive line won’t present the same nastiness as last year’s bunch, which didn’t get enough credit for keying huge seasons by Dak Prescott and Josh Robinson.

Jon Cooper (@JonSDS): Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Texas A&M

Although Jonathan Williams’ injury was a big blow for Arkansas, I’m still sticking with the Hogs to finish better than most predict. Mississippi State could finish last in the SEC West. Losing that much depth and proven ability on the line of scrimmage is just tough for any team to replace. Dak Prescott should have a nice season, but overall, MSU is set to take the biggest step back of any SEC West team from its 10-win season.

Ole Miss has one of the most talented rosters in the country, but has Hugh Freeze proven he can win big games? Freeze is 4-10 against Top 25 opponents in Oxford, and last year was certainly a positive step in the right direction. Texas A&M is a team that’s one year away. Heading into 2016, the Aggies are probably my SEC West favorite, but this season, the young defense will continue to take some lumps. Yes, the offense will score in bunches, but in big games, and especially in road games, defenses have to make stops.

Nick Cole (@NickColeSports): Arkansas, Texas A&M, Ole Miss

Ugh. When it comes to the SEC West, picking a team to finish in bottom three of the division seems to be just as difficult as picking one to finish first. So I’m going to give you guys three teams, but don’t you dare try to make me put them in any particular order.

The way I see it, the loss of Jonathan Williams is a problem for the Razorbacks. I know Bret Bielema says otherwise, but when any team that is that committed to the run loses its top rusher for the season, it is in a tough spot for what is expected to be a narrowly-decided divisional race. So let’s go with Arkansas as my first in the bottom three.

Next, I look at Texas A&M and think to myself that the Aggies have an offense capable of winning not just the division, but the entire league. But that defense was really bad last season. I am quite certain John Chavis will get things turned around on that side of the ball, I’m just not sure it will in time to finish better than fifth in the SEC West in 2015.

Finally, I’m going to go out on a limb with my final selection and say that Ole Miss may take a small step back this season, resulting in a finish in the bottom three of the division. Conventional wisdom has Mississippi State in this spot, but I look at the quarterback situation for each of these teams and I have a hard time saying that the team with Dak Prescott returning for his senior season will struggle the most. Ole Miss has a fantastic defense, but I worry about where its offensive production will come from beyond WR Laquon Treadwell. The line was suspect last season, the running game was one of the worst in the league and the quarterback position has the potential to be a mess.