“Earthquake in the college football playoff”: CFB Analyst weighs in on potential SEC West shocker that could alter the playoff picture

College football analyst Josh Pate weighed in on the possibility of unexpected circumstances in the SEC West. And the result of it, according to him, would have a drastic effect on who may make it to the college football playoffs this season. Is the division going to witness the rising story of an underdog college team?

The SEC itself is one of the strongest conferences in college football. Currently, 14 schools are divided into the SEC East and SEC West divisions. And in the last four years, we have seen teams from the SEC conference claim the national championship.

The Georgia Bulldogs claimed the college football crown in 2022 and 2021, as they look forward to achieving a three-peat this season.

During a recent episode of the Late Kick podcast, Josh Pate was discussing how a fan on Twitter questioned what would happen if someone other than the favorites won in the SEC West division. This was obviously a pretty interesting take for him, as this could have a great impact on who makes it to the CFP from the SEC.

"What-Ifs have hit chapter 27. And they're getting more and more creative, as evidenced by this first 'What If' tonight. Not quite sure what level of boldness it would be. But Dylan said, 'What if a team not named LSU or Alabama or Texas A&M wins the SEC West?'"

He further went on to share his two cents on the question at hand, talking about how it could have an adverse impact on the trajectory of the 2023 season of college football.

"Well, it would be an earthquake in SEC. It would be an earthquake in the college football playoff picture. We are, of course, left with either Ole Miss, Auburn, Arkansas, or Mississippi State winning the division. That means one of those teams play in Atlanta. Auburn's played there recently. Obviously, none of the others have been there recently," he said.

In the past five years, it has either been Alabama or LSU who have gone on to win the SEC West division and move on to play for the SEC Championships. In 2017, the Auburn Tigers were lucky enough to advance to the SEC championships, where they lost 28-7 to the Georgia Bulldogs.

However, they have brought in Hugh Freeze from Liberty as their coach. Could this make them one of the surprise candidates to win the SEC West division?

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Who is the favorite to win in the SEC West in 2023?

Given the history, Nick Saban's Crimson Tide are looking like strong contenders to go on to play in the SEC Championship game this season. But in 2022, they failed to make it to the SEC championship game because of two losses heading into their Iron Bowl game against Auburn. This led to them finishing at No.5 in the CFP rankings.

The 2023 SEC preseason media poll saw Alabama receiving 165 first-place votes to emerge as champions in the division, with LSU being second with 117 first-place votes. But one of the challenges that Saban has to face is the winds of change in Alabama.

Bryce Young was the starter in the last two seasons before being drafted into the NFL this year. This makes Jalen Milore, Ty Simpson, and Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner the favorites to land that starting job as the quarterback of the team. And they have all been getting equal reps in training, opening the floor to contention about who earns the title of starting quarterback.

Will Nick Saban make it to the college football playoffs after last season's disappointment? Or is there a new underdog story brewing in the SEC West division? The answer will be clearer once the games kick off for the 2023 campaign of college football.