College Football Predictions: Projecting the Final SEC West Standings

Even though LSU and Alabama haven't played each other yet, the SEC West is really starting to take shape.

We're starting to get a feel for who will make bowl games and who won't.

Even though the standings will be more clear after next week's game, here's an early look at how the division will stack up at the end of the regular season.

6. Ole Miss (3-9, 0-8)

There's a very good chance Ole Miss doesn't win an SEC game the entire year. Without a doubt, their most winnable one is on the road against Kentucky, but I'm going to go ahead and say they lose that one.

They should definitely beat Louisiana Tech at home on Nov. 12, but other than that they may not win another game.

Fans probably didn't think the season would go this badly, especially after the way it started. Ole Miss nearly beat BYU at home in the opener, and went on the road and beat Fresno State in early October.

However, they haven't won again since that Fresno State game.

Perhaps they can end the season on a high note by beating Mississippi State, but it's on the road, so it will be very tough to do.

The Rebels will probably finish last in the West, and it would almost be a surprise if Houston Nutt kept his job.

5. Mississippi State (6-6, 2-6)

Even though Mississippi State will struggle to make a bowl game, it doesn't necessarily mean they are a bad team.

The Bulldogs had an absolutely brutal schedule this year. Their schedule contained road games against Auburn, Georgia and Arkansas, while LSU, South Carolina and Alabama came (or will come) to Starkville.

The Bulldogs should beat Kentucky this weekend, but it's definitely a trap game. It would not be a surprise to see the Wildcats win.

I just don't see how Mississippi State beats either Alabama or Arkansas in mid-November.

They close out the year with Ole Miss and will probably have to beat them if they want to go to a bowl game.

I have the Bulldogs finishing 6-6 and making a lower-tier bowl.

Even though this was a disappointing year, don't be fooled. Dan Mullen has this program in great shape, and will soon have this team winning eight or nine games annually.

4. Auburn (7-5, 4-4)

If Auburn does finish 7-5 as predicted, it would almost have to be looked at as a surprisingly good season.

Coming into the year, 5-7 was a very realistic possibility.

The reason Auburn is where they are is because they haven't lost to anybody they shouldn't have and because they've won a few games people didn't expect them to.

It was somewhat of a surprise when they beat Mississippi State early in the year, then a big surprise when they went on the road and beat South Carolina.

All their games are winnable down the stretch, even Alabama.

The Tigers should definitely beat Ole Miss and Samford. They probably won't win at Georgia Nov. 12, but it's certainly doable.

I don't think Auburn will beat Alabama to close out the year, but having it at home helps tremendously.

Look for Alabama to definitely win that game, but for Auburn to keep it closer than people think.

3. Arkansas (10-2, 6-2)

I have Arkansas winning four of their final five games, which may be a bit generous. Even though they get all three at home, South Carolina, Tennessee and Mississippi State will all be huge tests.

Arkansas may be pretty lucky if they can beat all three. Heck, they have to be careful this weekend when they travel to Vanderbilt.

The way the Razorbacks played last week on the road against Ole Miss has to be a little concerning.

Bobby Petrino has these guys playing at the same level as last year when they went to a BCS bowl. They probably won't go to a BCS bowl this year, but the Capital One Bowl is a real possibility.

The annual showdown with LSU won't be as intriguing because it's played in Baton Rouge. Even though they beat LSU last year, I realistically wouldn't even give Arkansas a chance to win this year.

I wouldn't be surprised if we see a similar result to when Arkansas went on the road to play Alabama earlier this year.

2. LSU (11-1, 7-1)

The bash with Alabama is quickly approaching, and some are even calling it the "Game of the Century."

However, I strongly disagree—I don't even think "Game of the Decade" is an appropriate title.

The fact that it's in Alabama takes away a lot of intrigue from this game.

If it was in LSU, you'd have to call the game a complete toss-up, but because it's in Alabama, I think they are the clear favorites.

In fact, I think it would be quite surprising if Alabama didn't come out on top.

Regardless, I think LSU goes 11-1. I don't think we'd see a rematch in the National Championship, which would likely cause LSU to land in the Sugar Bowl.

1. Alabama (12-0, 8-0)

As mentioned earlier, I think the matchup with LSU is being over-hyped, and there is almost no chance of seeing a rematch in the national title.

With that being said, I definitely don't think Alabama will lose a game. I think they do have to be careful in the season finale against Auburn, but I realistically don't see a loss there.

It looks like Georgia will win the East, but who knows if they'll give Alabama a scare in the title game?

At this point, it is extremely hard to tell who Alabama will play in the national title.

No matter what happens, I don't think there's any chance that Boise State goes, so we can rule them out.

Oklahoma State is a very realistic possibility, although they do have a lot of tough games left.

Clemson may also go undefeated, as their remaining schedule is very easy compared to Oklahoma State's.

I don't think Kansas State is a realistic threat, as they will probably end up losing as many as two or three games yet.

Don't rule out Oklahoma either. There's a decent chance they make it.

However, I think the most likely team to make it is the winner of the Stanford-Oregon game.

Other than games against Oregon and USC, Stanford's schedule is a complete joke. There's a decent chance they'll go undefeated, but then lose in the title game because they've barely faced any quality opponents this year.