It usually doesn’t get better than the SEC West.

Since the 2000 season, the SEC West has had a representative in 14 of the 23 national championship games, with 10 victories. That’s more than any other full conference, with the Big 12 closest with eight appearances.

More impressively, before last year’s championship game between TCU and Georgia, 13 of the last 15 national championships had an SEC West team.

There has been no more fearsome division in the last few decades, which is why this year’s lackluster start is so surprising. Alabama, LSU and Texas A&M all have losses, and the race for the division crown looks entirely up for grabs.

LSU has as good a chance as anyone at winning the division, with its offense ranking top in the conference in yards despite a 1-1 start. However, the seven teams of the SEC West have a lot of talent between them, as well as a lot of questions.

Alabama

College football’s premier powerhouse lost to Texas in Week 2, dropping them down to No. 10 in the AP poll. It’s clear that this year’s rendition of the Crimson Tide is not up to the level of previous years.

Against Texas, Alabama allowed star quarterback Quinn Ewers to throw for 349 yards and was unable to sack him even once with a nonexistent pass-rush.

For a quarterback as good as Ewers and against Alabama’s secondary, which is merely decent and below its usual standards, giving time to throw is a death sentence.

On offense, the Tide are decidedly unspectacular. They lack playmakers at every position, including quarterback, where Bryce Young’s replacement, Jalen Milroe, has so far looked to not be a difference maker.

Milroe’s legs are an asset, but his passing is nowhere near what Alabama has come to expect under Tua Tagovailoa and Young. Combined with an offensive line that has allowed the 2nd-most sacks in the SEC so far, Alabama’s offense looks mortal.

There’s still time for Alabama to fix things and, as always, plenty of talent. For now though, Alabama’s iron grip on the division has loosened.

Texas A&M

Against what could potentially be an excellent Miami team, A&M dropped to 1-1 on the season in a 48-33 loss. Last year, Texas A&M suffered from an anemic offense that couldn’t take advantage of a great defense. This year, the script seems to have flipped.

Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke gashed through the Aggies defense for 374 yards and five touchdowns on an average of 12.5 yards per pass. A&M’s defense floundered, allowing scores on all but one of Miami’s second half drives, not counting the final one in which the Hurricanes ran out the clock.

The performance was surprising given that A&M’s defense, which finished last year ranked No. 1 against the pass in the country, didn’t have to overcome much roster turnover. However, the unit struggled mightily with tackling against Miami.

A&M’s offense, however, has been solid. Connor Weigman, the sophomore quarterback who last year oversaw an upset of LSU, has seven passing touchdowns this year, tied for No. 6 in the country.

Weigman has good weapons to throw to, including Evan Stewart, who ranks seventh in the nation in receiving yards this season. Wide receiver Noah Thomas has been a scoring threat as well, with four touchdowns on only 10 receptions.

Ole Miss

Ole Miss held steady in an upset bid by ranked Tulane this past week, and the Rebels might have the conference’s best offense.

Last year, Ole Miss dominated on the ground en route to a finish as the nation’s No. 8 offense. This year, the team has leaned on the pass game, despite returning the country’s seventh-leading rusher in Quinshon Judkins.

Jaxson Dart has been the best quarterback in the conference in terms of passer rating and yards per attempt and ranks No. 18 in the country in passing yards.

He’s throwing to an electric playmaker in Tre Harris, who has five touchdowns this year on only eight receptions for 188 yards. If Judkins can bounce back from two mediocre performances, this could be an offense without any clear weaknesses.

However, Ole Miss has so far struggled to convert on third downs, converting once on 13 opportunities against Tulane, which contributed to their early deficit. Cleaning that up could go a long way for the Rebels.

The defense looks good, having held Tulane (without its starting quarterback) to only 6.2 yards per pass and 2.5 yards per rush. The unit also forced five turnovers and eight sacks in the first two weeks, both third-best in the SEC.

Ole Miss has real potential as the best team in the SEC West and shouldn’t be overlooked.

Arkansas

Arkansas is 2-0 despite ranking last in the SEC in yards per play on offense. The Razorbacks have done this by dominating in situational efficiency, with a little help from perhaps the conference’s weakest schedule so far.

Arkansas’ passing game under quarterback KJ Jefferson is not formidable, and the team leans heavily on the run, which has also not been particularly effective. Over 45 rushing attempts against Kent State, Arkansas mustered only 3.8 yards per run.

However, the Razorbacks have forced six turnovers and lost none, producing the best turnover margin in the country. They have given up a touchdown only once on six red zone drives while notching eight touchdowns on eight tries on offense, and they convert third downs at the third-best rate in the SEC.

Combine that with a defense that ranks No. 14 in the country for points allowed, No. 5 in sacks and No. 4 in rushing defense, and Arkansas is a tough team that plays solid, if not exciting, football.

Mississippi State

Mississippi State survived a scare from Arizona in an overtime win in Week 2 in a matchup that showcased the team’s offensive struggles.

With the death of former head coach Mike Leach, the Bulldogs have shifted back to an old-school brand of football that hasn’t been particularly effective.

Though running back Jo’Quavious Marks is No. 10 in the country in rushing yards, Mississippi State’s conservative approach can get it in trouble. The team had three drives against Arizona that were three and outs in which it ran on first and second down, producing a difficult third down.

The shift in philosophy has relegated talented quarterback Will Rogers to a game manager role, when two years ago, he threw for 4,739 yards, the third-most ever by an SEC quarterback.

This one-dimensional style and offensive inefficiency kept Arizona in the game despite a great defensive performance, where the Bulldogs forced five turnovers. The pass defense is a little all or nothing, coming up with four interceptions but allowing 340 yards to Arizona, but this is a disruptive unit.

Mississippi State is definitely capable of more if its offense finds a better balance.

Auburn

Auburn’s Week 2 matchup saw the Tigers have the ball for 12 possessions, which amounted to four turnovers (making its season total the highest in the SEC), five punts, a turnover on downs and two touchdowns.

That’s bad offense.

Auburn has no star quarterback, so its identity will be on the ground this year. Against UMass, that worked to the tune of 289 rushing yards. Versus Cal, however, Auburn had only 136 yards for 3.6 yards per rush. It remains to be seen how effective the Tigers’ rushing attack really is.

The defense, however, is elite. The Tigers have allowed opponents to convert on third down only 18.5% of the time and have surrendered points on just two of six red zone opportunities. As a result, Auburn has allowed only 12 points per game, No. 20 in the country.

With the Tigers sporting what has a shot at being the conference’s best defense, games involving Auburn this year look likely to be slogs, unless its offense can improve drastically.