Only One SEC West Prediction You Can Count On

Sep 6, 2014; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs defensive back Kendrick Market (26) is taken off the field after an injury during the game between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the UAB Blazers at Davis Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

There are so many predictions. There are predictions about who will win the SEC West, who will finish last in the SEC West, who is the Dark Horse in the SEC West, and countless other predictions about the SEC West. And everyone is 100% positive their predictions are going to be the most accurate. But there is one I believe which will be far more accurate than all the others.

The team that stays the healthiest will win it.

We’ve been told a countless number of times since the build up to the 2015 season started months ago the SEC West was as tight as ever from top to bottom. The Coaches’ Poll further solidified this mentality when they ranked five of the 7 teams in the SEC West and put Mississippi State and Texas A&M at 26th and 27th respectively.

So in a year when the separation between the team that will be number 1 and the team that will be number 7 in the division will be as small as ever, staying as healthy as possible is as critical as it ever has been.

Injuries have already started to hit a few teams. The Razorbacks have already been hit hard with the season ending injury to Jonathan Williams. The offensive line will still be superb for Arkansas, and they also have Collins to lean on, but one of the reasons the Arkansas running game is so strong is the ability to have two fresh backs in the game in at all times.

In Baton Rouge, Safety Jalen Mills is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a fractured fibula. This will leave the Tigers without their most experienced defensive back against Mississippi State and Auburn, two teams that torched the Tigers in 2014.

One of the most important reasons the Bulldogs were so successful in 2014 was the simple fact they avoided too many injuries. The most significant injury Mississippi State had a year ago was to Receiver Jameon Lewis. But thanks to the new found depth at receiver for the Bulldogs, Mississippi State absorbed his injury without losing too much ground in the passing game.

Most years, an Alabama or LSU that recruits so well would be able to take a significant injury and replace them with someone else and not miss a step. The margin for such an event is much smaller in 2015. Injuries are going to happen. It is a simple matter of fact in football. But don’t be surprised in December if the team that represents the West in the SEC Championship Game is the one that suffered the least devastating injuries.

Next: How the West Was Won: 662 Dawg's 2015 SEC West Predictions