Two Tigers and the Tide to fight for the West title

It has been two years since Alabama won their last national championship, while Auburn grabbed the 2010 title and LSU won the 2007 national championship.
All three teams have great expectations for the 2015 football season and all three will determine each other’s fate as they fight to get to the SEC title game and hopefully the playoffs.
1. Alabama
2014 record: 12-2 (7-1 SEC)
Returning Starters: Offense 2, Defense 7
The Crimson Tide lost twice last year - to Ole Miss (23-17) and later to Ohio State (42-35) in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Alabama has only two returning starters on offense and seven on defense, but most football preview magazines place the Crimson Tide as the favorite to win the SEC West.
Jake Coker, David Cornwell, Blake Barnett and Cooper Bateman are all in the battle to replace Blake Sims but they will without Amari Cooper (124 receptions for 1,727 yards and 16 touchdowns). So who will be the next great Crimson Tide receiver?
The real concern is the defensive secondary who gave up numerous big plays last season - but expect Cyrus Jones to be a leader on the defensive side.
2. Auburn
2014 Record: 8-5 (4-4 SEC)
Returning Starters: Offense – 5, Defense – 7
Former Florida head coach Will Muschamp has returned to the Plains as Auburn’s fourth defensive coordinator in five years as he replaced Ellis Johnson, who was fired the day after the Tigers’ 55-44 loss to Alabama.
Muschamp was with the Tigers in 2006-07 and Auburn defense should be drastically improved to go with the high octane offense.
Auburn returns only five starters on offense, but quarterback Jeremy Johnson has all the tools to help the Tigers win more than eight games in 2015.
3. LSU
2014 Record: 8-5 (4-4 SEC)
Returning Starters: Offense – 7, Defense – 6
Last year was a disappointment for LSU fans as the Tigers lost five games including rivals Auburn (41-7), Alabama (20-13 OT) and Arkansas (17-0) before falling to Notre Dame (31-28) in the Music City Bowl.
Enter Kevin Steele as defensive coordinator and Ed Orgeron as defensive line coach - so the Tiger defense should be stout.
Leonard Fournette and Malachi Dupre will make plenty of highlight videos this season on offense for the Tigers.
But who will lead the team at quarterback – Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris?
Jennings’ off-the-field issues are a concern as he was suspended after his arrest - but hopefully Harris is ready to lead the Tiger offense.
LSU fans are hungry to see the Tigers roar this season.
After Alabama, Auburn and LSU, the rest of the SEC West could finish in any order.
4. Ole Miss
2014 Record: 9-4 (5-3 SEC)
Returning Starters: Offense – 9, Defense – 7
Who will replace Bo Wallace at Ole Miss?
Maybe Chad Kelly, DeVante Kincade or Ryan Buchanan - only time will tell which one will step up.
The offensive line allowed 31 sacks and the ground attack only averaged only 3.9 yards per carry.
Offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil has been accused of hanging out with agents but we will see if that is true and what will happen.
The Rebels need him to recover completely from a knee injury and be a leader on the line.
5. Mississippi State
2014 Record: 10-3 (6-2 SEC)
Returning Starters: Offense – 4, Defense – 3
After going undefeated and climbing to No. 1 in the College Football Playoff ranking, Mississippi State lost three of its last four games: to Alabama, Ole Miss and Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl.
Quarterback Dak Prescott will be the offense for the Bulldogs especially now that Josh Robinson (1,203 yards and 11 TD) is gone.
Prescott was the team’s second-leading rusher with 986 yards and he has a strong arm (3,449 yards, 27 TD).
Manny Diaz returns to coordinate the defense, which will be the key to how many wins the Bulldogs can grab this season.
6. Arkansas
2014 Record: 7-6 (2-6 SEC)
Returning Starters: Offense – 9 , Defense – 5
New coordinator Dan Enos has Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams at running back and the offensive line is one of the best in the SEC.
Quarterback Brandon Allen returns, and top targets Keon Hatcher (WR) and Hunter Henry (TE) are also back.
Brooks Ellis (72 tackles) is the top returner at linebacker but the defense could be the Hogs undoing this season.
7. Texas A&M
2014 Record: 8-5 (3-5 SEC)
Returning Starters: Offense – 6, Defense – 6
John Chavis is one of the best defensive signal-callers in the nation but time will tell how fast the former LSU defensive coordinator can rebuild the Aggie defense.
Quarterback Kyle Allen finished the year with 1,322 passing yards and 16 touchdowns.
The Aggies allowed 26 sacks last season so the offensive line has to get better to see A&M move into the top four in the SEC West.
No team will go through the season without a loss - so look to the LSU-Auburn game on Sept. 19 to set the tone for the rest of the rival games.
Then add the LSU- Alabama clash on Nov. 7.
The Iron Bowl on Nov. 28 could determine the SEC West champion once again.