Texas A&M and Ole Miss are two up-and-coming SEC West programs hoping to continue to build upon the already-established foundation.

The next step for every program is winning an SEC Championship, but that just doesn’t come easily in college football’s toughest division. Both programs, however, have shown they are worthy of building a legitimate program with elite players.

So, will Texas A&M or Ole Miss win an division championship first?

Ethan Levine (@EthanLevineSDS): Ole Miss

If you haven’t been paying attention, Hugh Freeze’s regime has been among the best in the SEC when it comes to recruiting, and that infusion of talent in recent years has helped Ole Miss raise its win total in each of Freeze’s three seasons in Oxford. The Rebels spent much of the last two years ranked in the top 25, and next spring they could have as many as four first-round draft picks, including the top-two overall picks in the draft, all of whom were recruited by Freeze. There’s no reason to believe that recruiting momentum is to die down anytime soon, as the recent commitment by five-star quarterback Shea Patterson indicated. Considering Kevin Sumlin has yet to win nine games with any of his own talent (he inherited A&M’s offensive line draftees, as well as Johnny Manziel and Mike Evans), Freeze’s current edge seems obvious to me. Sumlin could pass Freeze by down the line, he’s no slouch in his own right, but until he proves he can win with talent he found for himself, there’s no reason to give him the benefit of the doubt over Freeze.

Brad Crawford (@BCrawfordSDS): Ole Miss

I associate Hugh Freeze with longevity and really like what he is building at Ole Miss. Kevin Sumlin took the necessary step in fixing his defensive problems with hire of John Chavis, but the Aggies are expecting a little more bang for their buck and Sumlin hasn’t delivered against ranked teams. Based on resources, you’d think the Aggies would win the SEC West before the Rebels, but personnel says different.

Brett Weisband (@WeisbandSDS): Texas A&M

Ole Miss is going to have one of its most talented rosters ever in 2015, but it has quarterback issues to iron out. Once this group moves onto the NFL — which several members of both the offense and defense certainly will after this year — the Rebels will have a talent level much more comparable to the rest of the fat middle of the SEC. Texas A&M, meanwhile, has been consistently raking in the talent ever since moving to the SEC. The Aggies have a quarterback in place in Kyle Allen and have at least two seasons left with him, and if can’t get the job done then five-star signee Kyler Murray should be ready to step up. After adding John Chavis this offseason, the Aggies should finally have a defense that can at least hold a candle to how potent the offense is. If Chavis can work the wonders on Texas A&M’s defense that many expect of him, it’s only a matter of time before the Aggies claim their first SEC West crown.

Jon Cooper (@JonSDS): Texas A&M

Yes, Hugh Freeze has proven he can recruit elite prospects in Oxford, but I fear if the Rebels don’t win the SEC Championship in 2015, then the window will pass. Now is the time for Ole Miss, but I don’t see that happening this year. Therefore, Texas A&M is the program that has everything in place to win a championship in the future. It won’t happen in 2015 or maybe even 2016, but the Aggies are on the right path, especially after the John Chavis hire. If I’m buying stock in one program in the SEC West, it’s Texas A&M right now.