Division Power Rankings

1. SEC West

Some say winning the SEC Title is like winning the National Championship. But with four out of the past five national champions coming out of this division it brings a lot of cache. This year should be no different with Auburn and Alabama being title favorites while Mississippi and LSU are contenders. It's also not unrealistic to see all seven teams in this division becoming bowl eligible.

2. Pac 12 North

Not too far behind the SEC west is up in the Pacific Northwest. Just like the SEC West, this division has two National Title contenders in Oregon and Stanford.  But what puts the North behind is they lack those secondary teams that could end up as contenders.  Washington and Oregon State are good, but they are nine win teams at best.

3. Big 10 East

When the Big 10 realigned that meant the East Division got stacked. This division has potential to be elite with Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Penn State all being members. But this season should only see Sparty and the Buckeyes are contenders.  But Indiana and even Maryland give this division some quality depth.

4. SEC East

At some point we could see the East move up the rankings, but there is so much uncertaintly. Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina could all be elite, but they usually end up with a couple of losses each. Missouri could be a team that joins them, or they could turn into a Tennessee, Kentucky, or Vanderbilt who have a good season here and there.

5. Pac 12 South

Much like the SEC East, the Pac 12 South has the potential to be a major player. USC is one of the top 5 programs and are one upswing.  Add in UCLA and Arizona State who are budding programs and that could give this division three high quality teams. Even Arizona looks to be pointed up. But we're just talking about potential.

6. ACC Atlantic

If you took the top three teams for each division, then the Atlantic could be in the discussion. Florida State looks to be a title contender for many years while Louisville and Clemson are right on the door step. However after those three it's a big drop off.  NC State, Wake Forest, Syracuse and Boston College don't do much for me.

7. Big 10 West

Even though they may be one of the weakest divisions, it may be the most wide open. Wisconsin, Nebraska, Iowa, Northwestern and even Minnesota have legit cases to win the West. But there seems to be so many questions that you don't know if you are going to get three ten win teams atop or four eight win teams.

8. ACC Coastal

At the bottom is the Coastal. It would help their cause if Miami would get back to their elite status, but that doesn't look to be happening anytime soon. Duke's story is nice, but when they are a strong contender it really hurts your perception. North Carolina has also been a long underachieving program.