If you stripped away reputations, recruiting rankings and gave everybody in the SEC West a blank white jersey, one roster would stand out from the others.

Alabama has owned the division, the conference and college football for most of the past seven years — but it shouldn’t own the SEC in 2016.

LSU, with its loaded roster that returns 17 starters, friendlier schedule (Ole Miss and Alabama visit) and revitalized offensive approach, should step out of its dark horse role and into the top contender spot in the SEC West.

If not this season, then when?

The combination of all that LSU has in its favor relative to Alabama, which must replace two key pieces in its backfield, revamp its offensive line and play its three toughest games on the road, make this a win-or-bust season for Les Miles’ Tigers.

Just like last year, their early November showdown against Alabama likely will decide all.

Unlike last year, this one is in Baton Rouge, and instead of trying to out-Alabama Alabama with the ground-and-pound game, LSU should see if the Tide can out-LSU LSU by turning it into a track meet.

Few teams, if any, can match LSU’s athletes on the outside. Malachi Dupre and Travin Dural have an envious blend of size and speed. Dural finished third in the SEC in yards-per-catch last season at 19.04, and Dupre wasn’t far behind, finishing sixth at 16.23.

All for an offense that treated the pass like a household chore in 2015, which explains why they combined for just nine touchdown catches.

Imagine the damage they could do — should do — in 2016 when Cam Cameron takes the restrictor plate off the offense.

Change is in the air this spring, and so is the football.

“There will be improvement, there will be a noticeable change,” Cameron told NOLA.com. “The people at practice (high school coaches) thought there was a noticeable change. There was a couple of periods there where we threw three balls each down and the ball didn’t hit the ground, and that’s a start. For probably 20 minutes the ball never hit the ground. Collectively, you’re going to see improvement.”

LSU will never stray far from its roots. Leonard Fournette is the best running back in America and would have cracked 2,000 yards last season had LSU’s opener not been canceled.

But this year, the Tigers’ route tree actually has more than two branches, and that’s the scariest development in the SEC West.

“I’m pleased with the direction we’re headed. I like the way our guys work together,” Cameron told NOLA.com. “Our receivers are getting better and better. Even though they are young, a lot of them, this is probably going to be a pretty good group, and by receivers I mean backs, tight ends, wide receivers.”

There’s a reason LSU’s draft-eligible juniors decided to return to Baton Rouge. And it wasn’t merely to hang out at Walk-Ons.

This is the year. This is the team. This is the best opportunity the Tigers have had to dethrone Alabama in five years.

Vulnerability is relative. Alabama is rarely vulnerable, but you have to get them when you can.

For LSU, the opportunity is now, and the Tigers better make it count. Because in 2017, the Tide will return a starting quarterback, a Heisman contender in Bo Scarbrough, an electric draft-eligible junior in Calvin Ridley and an angry coach. That’s not a situation any team wants to deal with.