The SEC West went 2-5 in bowl games last year – a message college football fans were far too happy to share back in January.

On Saturday, the SEC West had its redemption.

Say what you will about matchups for Arkansas, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss, but the SEC West picked up wins over top teams from the ACC, Big Ten, and Pac-12, all at neutral sites.

First, in Georgia, Auburn showed flashes of the kind of dominance many expect the Tigers to display this season.

Will Muschamp's defense came up with an interception on the game's very first play from scrimmage, and later scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery in shutting out Louisville in the first half.

On offense, Jeremy Johnson turned the ball over three times, but also accounted for two scores – one with his arm and one with his feet – and Peyton Barber emerged as the potential lead running back the team has been searching for.

In Houston, unranked Texas A&M knocked off No. 15 Arizona State, not on the back of Kevin Sumlin's offense, but rather, with a surprisingly stout defensive effort in John Chavis's debut.

The offense came together late, with the Aggies scoring 21 of their 38 points in the fourth quarter. Also, a new weapon emerged in speedy freshman Christian Kirk, who put the final nail in the coffin on a 66-yard catch and run touchdown.

Alabama made the trip out to Arlington with more question marks surrounding the team than the Tide have had in quite some time.

Even so, Nick Saban's squad put on a clinic on both sides of the ball in a game that was never really in doubt. Jake Coker played well enough to get Blake Sims out of the minds of Tide fans, and Derrick Henry showed that he can shoulder the load on offense in Tuscaloosa.

For eight months, the SEC West has had to deal with the ire of detractors and listen to questions as to whether or not its still atop the mountain. On Saturday, it put those questions to bed.

A 6-0 Saturday isn't going to go viral. It isn't going to make headlines on Sunday. It's not going to score the division many points in the polls.

It's just another day at the office for the best division in college football.