Hotard: West could be SEC's best

• By SCOTT HOTARD
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Jul 21, 2009 - Page: 1C

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Since the Southeastern Conference went to divisional play, the cry from football fans east of Alabama always sounded the same.

The East is the Beast. The West is Less.

No matter the SEC West has three national championships, including LSU’s pair in the BCS years. The East has four, with Florida winning its third just last season.

No matter the West produced Eli Manning, the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NFL draft. The East produced Peyton Manning, Eli’s big brother.

The West won six SEC titles in the first 17 years of the conference championship game.

The East won 11.

Bottom line, West fans could argue until they were blue — or crimson or purple — in the face. It never worked.

Now, it’s a new year. A new argument.

And this time, the West might have the final say.

Sure, Florida, with Tim Tebow back for his senior year and all the defense back as well, will almost certainly enter 2009 atop the national preseason polls.

The Gators will probably run away with the East, too.

The West, by contrast, appears balanced, stout and unpredictable.

Nick Saban has Alabama back to being Alabama. Les Miles made all the right off-season moves at LSU, bringing promise that the Tigers again will be a national player.