re: Who is going to be the toughest team to beat this year in the SEC???

Umm, the default answer for the past 6-7 years is Bama, and as long as Saban is there, that will remain the case.

Look at years they DIDN'T win the West:
they lost to LSU in OT.
they lost to Auburn on the last play of regulation, when the absolute worst-case scenario seemed to be OT
Earlier loss to Auburn with Cam, they lost after having a big lead.

There are years LSU has won, there are years LSU has been a tough out, but there are years LSU has gotten rolled. Same applies to Auburn and Florida. Nobody else even comes close.

About the only other option is: first half of the season, A&M comes out on fire. Like their poster said, if you leave November out, they're in the discussion.