St. Louis University is the defending Atlantic 10 champion, of the regular season and the conference tournament. But if SLU finished as the clear-cut best team in the league last season, the Billikens did not start it that way and they aren’t starting this season that way, even if they do have the bulk of last season’s team back.

They have won seven straight, and their only two losses so far are by six points to Wisconsin and five points to Wichita State, teams that are undefeated and ranked fourth and sixth, respectively, in this week’s Associated Press poll. It would not take any great rewriting of history to picture the Billikens as being undefeated.

And yet, the Billikens (13-2) no longer are the darlings of the Atlantic 10, in many quarters not even the favorite.

No. 19 Massachusetts, with a 12-1 record and wins over Louisiana State, Nebraska, New Mexico, Clemson, Brigham Young and Providence, is the only Atlantic 10 team in the national rankings, the team that has become the league favorite in the eyes of many.

If there’s any consensus about the Atlantic 10 this season, however, it’s that there is no consensus.

It could be SLU. It could be UMass. It could be Virginia Commonwealth or George Washington or Dayton.