On Thursday, we examined the SEC East's most indispensable players.

Today, we head out West to take a look at the players who each team in college football's toughest division absolutely have to have in order to be successful.

What happens if Alabama's AJ McCarron goes down? Is Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel the Aggies' best player and their most indispensable?

We did it last season at the SEC Blog, and the SEC West's most indispensable players makes its triumphant return in 2013. 

Read More »6

Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops has been on fire lately, securing the commitments of seven players in the class of 2014 just in June.

The most recent splash was the commitment of Stanley Williams from George Walton Academy in Monroe, Ga.—the No. 5 all-purpose running back in the class of 2014, according to 247Sports.com.

The immediate future looks great for the Wildcats, but the distant future doesn't look too bad either.

According to ESPN.com, Kentucky lowered the bar and offered a scholarship to class of 2018 cornerback Jairus Brents after the seventh-grader—yes, seventh-grader—attended a camp in Lexington.

Read More »9

Texas A&M has gone from perceived pushover to SEC bully, and its administrators are certainly acting the part.

Athletics director Eric Hyman spoke Thursday at the Brazos County (Texas) A&M Club's Coach's Night and called out Alabama, according to Brent Zwerneman of the San Antonio Express-News.

Hyman—who previously held the same position at South Carolina—opened up the event with a joke that will certainly resonate in Tuscaloosa.

“What do the moon and Texas A&M have in common?" Hyman asked. "They both control the Tide.”

Read More »136

Every Thursday on The SEC Blog, we will feature questions from the Bleacher Report inbox, Twitter and email at bsallee@bleacherreport.com. 

You have SEC questions, and I have SEC answers. Thank you for your questions this week. If I didn't get to them, they will be saved and used in the future.

And we're off:

Without a doubt, it's South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. Oddsmakers will tell you that Alabama running back T.J. Yeldon is going to be squarely in that mix too, and they're probably right.

Read More »16

Being the best player on your team is one thing, but being the most indispensable is another. 

Great players are often backed up by a stable of quality players behind them, which is where Georgia finds itself at running back and Florida's secondary currently stands.

But what about those positions that aren't so deep?

Where can one injury change the fate of an entire team's season? 

Read More »4

Kentucky recruiting well is nothing new.

After all John Calipari routinely signs top classes filled with players who exploit the NBA's one-and-done rule, leaving a quick but lasting mark on the football program.

Wait, what? Kentucky is in the top 10 in the 247Sports.com composite for the class of 2014 in football too?

FOOTBALL?

As Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops—and brother of Kentucky head football coach Mark Stoops—would say, "hello!"

Read More »2

Some, like Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin, call him "Nicky Satan." Others, like Florida offensive line coach Tim Davis, call him "the Devil himself."

If you're an Alabama fan, he probably carries a more complimentary nickname—"national champion."

Nick Saban.

The seventh-year head coach of the Crimson Tide has been at the helm leading the Tide into its current status as the first modern-day dynasty of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) era.

Read More »22

How many starters does your team return from last season, and, most importantly, is one of them the quarterback?

That question is a staple of virtually every preseason team preview, prevalent in every summer magazine and a topic of conversation on radio stations across the country.

But does a returning starter at quarterback really matter?

Between 2007-11, four of the five BCS National Championships won by SEC teams were won by first-year starting quarterbacks (LSU's Matt Flynn in 2007, Alabama's Greg McElroy in 2009, Auburn's Cam Newton in 2010 and Alabama's AJ McCarron in 2011). 

Read More »8