It’s been a historic season thus far in the SEC’s Western Division.

We’re used to the division being a two or three-team race: Alabama, LSU, Auburn. Then there’s everyone else.

But not this year. Currently, it’s a five-team race. Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Auburn, Alabama and Texas A&M all have open paths to capturing the title.

Is the division that deep? Or is there more parity than ever?

You can be the one to decide that. I will tell you one thing, however.

The SEC West will be decided in Starkville, Miss., on Saturday afternoon.

The two teams that will take the field at Davis-Wade Stadium at 2:30 CT on Saturday are the most complete teams in the SEC West. Both have stars at quarterback, and fast, athletic defenses. Both teams also have relatively favorable schedules down the stretch.

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Through its first four games, Auburn looked like a very beatable team. Its offense hadn’t found its rhythm and the defense still looked mediocre, especially in the secondary. However, that’s not the team that drubbed LSU 41-7 last week. The Tigers held LSU to under 300 yards of total offense, the first time Auburn’s defense has held an SEC opponent under 300 yards since second-year coordinator Ellis Johnson arrived. Sure, Auburn has faced only two quarterbacks in the top 100 nationally of total offense, but Johnson’s defense has held opponents under 21 points in five straight games — the first time that’s been done on the Plains since 2007-08.

There’s a guy on the other side that’s gotten pretty good, also. Dak Prescott made his first start against a FBS opponent against these Auburn Tigers last season. It was the first time Prescott threw for more than 200 yards and rushed for more than 100 yards, though Mississippi State lost on a last-second touchdown pass. Prescott’s eclipsed 300 yards of total offense in each of the last three games he’s played.

The Bulldogs’ best opponent its faced is Texas A&M, who was ranked No. 6 when it visited Starkville last weekend. Auburn’s faced two top-20 teams in LSU and a road trip to Kansas State. The Tigers also opened the season with a much-improved Arkansas team.

It’s undeniable, though, that this game will show just how far both teams have come.

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When these two teams faced off in early September last season, both teams had yet to find its identity. Auburn was two games into a first-year head coach and a new quarterback. Mississippi State had started two different quarterbacks in its first two games, before Prescott got the nod at Auburn in Week 3.

Fast forward one year, and a much different story will unfold on Saturday. Prescott runs his offense better than anyone in the country, and Dan Mullen has done a fantastic job of developing talent to give Prescott weapons around him. The only question mark for the Bulldogs is the secondary. Kenny Hill threw for 365 yards last week, though much of that came in mop-up time.

After its effort in the 34-point win over the Bengal Tigers last week, Auburn seemingly has no gaping holes. The defense is playing confidently in its second-year in Johnson’s 4-2-5 scheme. Arguably more importantly for Gus Malzahn’s team, the offense clicked last week. Second-year quarterback Nick Marshall threw for over 200 yards and ran for over 100 yards. Cameron Artis-Payne added a 100-yard effort on the ground, and playmakers Sammie Coates and Duke Williams showed why they’ve been lauded as one of the top receiving duos in the country.

When the Bulldogs take its home field, it’ll face the third consecutive top 10 opponent. Looking ahead, State will face just two more ranked opponents over its final six games, though the Bulldogs will have to face the SEC’s two most improved teams in Kentucky and Arkansas.

The road is more difficult for the Tigers. Auburn faces four top 15 teams over its final six games.

Sure, anything can happen and these two clubs will still have to play well moving forward. But Texas A&M easily could upset Ole Miss in College Station on Saturday night and Alabama has a tough road test against a sneaky good Arkansas team. Each of those teams also have bigger liabilities than the Bulldogs and Tigers.

A&M? Defense, and for three and a half quarters, Mississippi State showed you can slow Kenny Hill and that high-powered offense. Ole Miss? As well as he played against Alabama, Bo Wallace still has to play consistently week in and week out. Alabama? Special teams.

It’s not a guarantee, but by 6:00 p.m. CT Saturday evening, we’ll have a really clear picture of the best division in college football will play out.