re: Why is the SEC west so much better than the SEC east at football?

I'll say the main reason overall is better coaching in the West. Saban can be attributed for the the success of both LSU and Bama and the of course Malzahn at Auburn(even as OC) Plus, Cam went and stole a lap top. That probably definitely gives UF another East title, probably two under Urban since Cam would have been playing two years without the transfer. I also believe one SEC team getting a great coach may have actually helped weaken the East. Spurrier coming to South Carolina was good enough to take us from being a scrub to at least stealing several wins a year from the big three. Several big time players would have ended up at probably UGA or UT had Spurrier not arrived.