The Fall of the SEC West

Remember when the SEC West was the flag-bearer of college football? A 900-pound gorilla swatting any fly that got anywhere near it?

Those were the good ol' days—or, perhaps more appropriately, ancient history.

Bowl season for the SEC West is in the books, and the only two teams that posted wins were the two worst teams in the final division standings—Texas A&M (over West Virginia) and Arkansas (over Texas). As Kevin Negandhi of ESPN pointed out, that's a 180-degree turn from where the division was during the regular season:

What's more, Alabama's and Auburn's losses came to "lowly Big Ten" teams—Ohio State and Wisconsin, respectively—that were both more than a one-touchdown underdog, according to Odds Shark.

Ninth-ranked Ole Miss' problems—specifically, the inability to run between the tackles—prevented the Rebels from getting on track in a 42-3 loss to TCU in a game that wasn't as close as the score indicated. State rival Mississippi State followed it up on New Year's Eve by getting worked 49-34 by Georgia Tech in the Capital One Orange Bowl.

That game prompted a classic reaction from Yellow Jackets head coach Paul Johnson, via Vinnyviner on Vine:

"For at least a week or two we don't have to hear about the SEC," Johnson said.

That matters big time.

Fans from around the country undoubtedly have become annoyed with SEC chest-thumping, the "S-E-C" chant billowing through buildings during the final minutes of bowl games and conference pride taking precedence over rivalries during the holiday season.

Perception matters in college football more than it does in any other sport. Why else would one-loss Alabama be the unquestioned No. 1 heading into the postseason ahead of Oregon and Florida State? 

Perception.

"You've got to be one family," TCU head coach Gary Patterson said after the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl win over Ole Miss. "I think yesterday, listening in yesterday during our press conference of how strong they are being as one, and I think that's one thing the Big 12 has been able to do. I don't believe that it's Big 12 vs. the SEC, but I do believe that you have to be proud of conferences you're in."

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

What happened to the SEC West to change the perception of the division this season? While all of its teams made bowls, they all also had major flaws and were simply incapable of overcoming them.

This season wasn't like 2009, 2010 or 2011, when there were teams around the country—many of which were in the SEC West—that were clearly better than others. There are no "great" teams in college football this year, only good ones that have managed to win despite glaring holes.

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

SEC West champion Alabama has been dealing with inconsistency in the secondary for two years, and it struggles against running quarterbacks and offenses that thrive on tempo. Auburn and Texas A&M are defensively challenged, LSU and Ole Miss have hit-or-miss quarterbacks, Mississippi State's pass defense is atrocious, and Arkansas took nearly two years to get going under head coach Bret Bielema.

When those flaws surface at key times in games, they're impossible to overcome.

In many of these cases, there were no other options. LSU simply couldn't turn to Brandon Harris when Anthony Jennings struggled. Ohio State, meanwhile, is the anti-LSU. Urban Meyer's crew lost two Heisman Trophy-caliber quarterbacks, and all third-stringer Cardale Jones did against Alabama's defense was toss for 243 yards.

As Chris Vernon of 92.9 in Memphis notes, that's a major statement:

No SEC West team has the depth to overcome those losses on the fly like Ohio State did, and depth is what builds champions. That depth is created through recruiting, which was the foundation SEC West power was built on.

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Is the SEC West still the king of recruiting? Yes, but the rest of the country is starting to make waves.

Florida State, last year's champ, has been in the top 10 in the 247Sports team rankings every year since 2010. Ohio State has enjoyed similar success on the recruiting trail under Urban Meyer, even going into SEC territory and signing several southern blue-chip prospects, including safety Vonn Bell and linebacker Raekwon McMillan—both of whom hail from Georgia. 

Oregon? It has branded itself as a national power and routinely signs players from fertile recruiting territories such as Texas and California to join its high-flying offense.

As a whole, the best players from around the country do play in the SEC. That doesn't mean great players and coaches don't exist elsewhere. They do, as Ralph Russo of The Associated Press notes:

The College Football Playoff was designed to "settle it on the field," and the players and coaches at Ohio State, Oregon and the other programs that wrecked shop this bowl season simply did a better job preparing than those in the SEC West.

It happens, and it is nothing to be ashamed of.

As a whole, the SEC West was a paper tiger that lived off its reputation rather than its merit this year. Cracks in the foundation surfaced this holiday season, and it's up to the coaches to do some renovation during the offseason.

In 2014, the SEC West was more sizzle than steak.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.