Analyzing SEC West Win Totals Ahead Of Opening Week

• The Southeastern Conference kicks off its 10-game season this Saturday and betting lines are available for how many wins each team will finish the season with.
• The Alabama Crimson Tide lead the way in the West, with over 8.5 wins getting -160 odds on major online sportsbooks, followed by Texas A&M and LSU, both at 7.
• Other numbers include Auburn at 6.5 wins, Ole Miss at 4 wins, Mississippi State at 4, and Arkansas at 1.5 wins.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After a long and arduous wait, folks in the south can finally celebrate the sweet return of SEC football to their televisions.

The Southeastern Conference kicks off its season this Saturday, bringing hope, excitement, and optimism back to the lives of the many people who call themselves fans.

With the return of the SEC comes the return of betting odds for each and every team in the conference. Specifically, the win totals for each team in the Western Conference that is now available to bet on.

With each team playing a modified, 10-game, conference-only schedule, the margin for error is as slim as it has ever been.

Looking at each line for all of the West teams presents some ample betting opportunity for those looking deep into their SEC crystal ball.

Which teams will exceed expectations and which teams will crumble under the difficulties of an all-SEC schedule? Taking a look at each SEC West team’s win total betting line can lead to some captivating conclusions.

Alabama

Winnable Games: All of them
Losable Games: Texas A&M (10/3), Georgia (10/17), LSU (11/14), Auburn (11/28)

Alabama enters this season in a familiar place: Top 2 preseason ranking, tons of returning weapons, and questions at quarterback.

The Tide will look to improve upon an uncharacteristically mediocre defense that had troubles against strong passing attacks and issues tackling in 2019.

Bama fielded an uncomfortable amount of true freshman on defense last year thanks to a litany of injuries, but welcome back that group with a year of experience under their belt.

Mac Jones was announced as the starting QB this week over highly touted newcomer Bryce Young and will look to expand upon the promising skills he showed against Auburn and Michigan at the end of the season.

He will rely heavily on the tools around him, notably Devonte Smith, Najee Harris, and perhaps the most electrifying player in college football, Jaylen Waddle.

Can’t wait to watch Jaylen Waddle 🤩 pic.twitter.com/8NlG4pCJoR

— Alabama DieHards (@AlabamaDieHards) June 23, 2020

The first true test for the Tide will come in their second game against Texas A&M.

Arkansas

Winnable Games: Miss St (10/3), Ole Miss (10/17), Missouri (11/28)
Losable Games: All of them.

The Hogs head into the 2020 season just begging for anything to be excited about after two miserable years under Chad Morris where they failed to beat a single SEC opponent…in two whole seasons.

Arkansas hired former assistant and Georgia offensive line coach Sam Pittman as the new man in charge, and look to returning running back Rakeem Boyd to carry the load on offense.

While two wins is asking a lot, there isn’t any possible way that the Razorbacks can get worse under their new coach than they were with Morris. Pittman breathes new life into a program that needs it maybe more than any other school in the country.

This line will come down to how teams like Ole Miss, MSU, and Missouri play this season, but even then it is a tough ask for more than one win in this schedule.

Auburn

Winnable Games: Kentucky (9/26), Arkansas (10/10), South Carolina (10/17), Ole Miss (10/24), Miss St (11/14), Tennessee (11/21)
Losable Games: Georgia (10/17), LSU (10/31), Alabama (11/28), Texas A&M (12/5)

Auburn comes into 2020 with plenty of questions on both sides of the ball. While quarterback Bo Nix will look to build upon a promising freshman season, he will need to find which of his weapon he trusts the most this season.

The Tigers are always strong on defense and will look to stars like Markaviest Bryant, KJ Britt, and Christian Tutt to lead what is usually a strong Auburn front seven.

The Tigers' biggest games will come against Georgia, LSU, and Texas A&M, where they will decide if they are capable of getting over seven wins. Auburn doesn’t have the voodoo factor of Jordan-Hare Stadium against Alabama this year, traveling to Tuscaloosa for the Iron Bowl.

LSU

Winnable Games: Miss St. (9/26), Vanderbilt (10/3), Missouri (10/10), S Carolina (10/24), Arkansas (11/21), Ole Miss (12/5)
Losable Games: Florida (10/17), Auburn (10/31), Alabama (11/14), Texas A&M (11/28)

Coach O and the Bayou Bengals are trying to avoid the hangover of what some say was the greatest college football team of all time in 2019.

Unfortunately, Joe Burrow and coordinator Joe Brady will not be on the sidelines this year, as LSU turns to Myles Brennan to take over pass throwing duties.

LSU does however welcome back star wideout Ja’Marr Chase who will be a huge safety blanket for Brennan as he figures out this new offense. DB Derek Stingley Jr. also returns for the Tigers, anchoring a defense that will need to find its identity fast.

Luckily, they have some time as the first real test for the Tigers comes in their fourth game when they travel to the Swamp. The over for 7 wins is achievable if the Tigers can avoid an upset and win two out of four between Florida, Auburn, Alabama, and Texas A&M.

Mississippi State

Winnable Games: Arkansas (10/3), Kentucky (10/10), Vanderbilt (11/7), Ole Miss (11/28), Missouri (12/5).
Losable Games: LSU (9/26), Kentucky (10/10), Texas A&M (10/17), Alabama (10/31), Auburn (11/14), Georgia (11/21)

Mississippi State enters this season as another enigma in the western conference. The Bulldogs are capable of upsetting any team on any given weekend but are also capable of collapse at any moment.

New head coach Mike Leach will likely turn this program complete upside down, bringing his Air Raid offense to the SEC.

The defense will likely be solid with Erroll Thompson and Marquiss Spencer holding things down, but the offense will need more than Kylin Hill to produce in order to succeed.

If the Bulldogs hope to get to five wins, they will need to win the easy games, as well as win swing games like against Kentucky and rival Ole Miss.

Ole Miss

Winnable Games: Kentucky (10/3), Arkansas (10/17), Vanderbilt (10/31), S Carolina (11/14), Miss St. (11/28)
Losable Games: Florida (9/26), Kentucky (10/3), Alabama (10/10), Auburn (10/24), Texas A&M (11/21), LSU (12/5).

The Lane Train has officially stationed itself in Oxford, bringing with it all the hype imaginable. The Rebels are in need of some excitement after a few lackluster seasons under Matt Luke.

A huge factor in this season will be the development of QB John Rhys Plumlee, who showed sparks of excellence last season. Combined with receiver Elijah Moore and running back Jerrion Ealy, the Rebels could have some firepower on offense for Kiffin to work with.

The defense will be the biggest question and will face a big test in its first game against Florida and Kyle Trask.

The Rebels have huge upset potential this season if they can put some pieces together, and could be one of the more profitable college football bets if they can knock off some big teams.

Texas A&M Aggies

Winnable Games: Vanderbilt (9/26), Miss St (10/17), Arkansas (10/31), S Carolina (11/7), Tennessee (11/14), Ole Miss (11/21), Auburn (12/5).
Losable Games: Alabama (10/3), Florida (10/10), Tennessee (11/14), LSU (11/28), Auburn (12/5).

The Aggies come into 2020 with tons of hype. This is nothing new to Jimbo Fisher’s Texas A&M team who have failed to live up to expectations almost every year since he has been in College Station.

Texas A&M’s entire season will rest on the shoulders of quarterback Kellen Mond. Mond was second in the SEC in passing yards last year and needs to be even better this year if the Aggies want to make some noise in an SEC-only schedule.

This is a do or die season for Fisher, who will certainly hear the outcries of the Aggies’ notoriously vocal boosters if he fails to win yet again.

Unfortunately, the Aggies start off with two teams in the AP Top 5 in their first three weeks, with Alabama and Florida. The Aggies will need to win at least one between Bama, Florida, LSU, and Auburn if they hope to get to seven wins.

A pivotal, must-win game for the Aggies is their trip to Knoxville against the Volunteers in mid-November. That game could be the deciding factor on if this season is a success.