Texas A&M picked to finish sixth in SEC West in 2015

The media's picks for the SEC were released near the conclusion of the 2015 SEC Media Days on Thursday, placing Texas A&M at sixth in the West Division. Auburn, meanwhile, was picked to finish second in the division yet somehow also to win the SEC title.

(As noted on Wednesday by our own Olin Buchanan, A&M and Auburn are basically the same team — but that's none of our business.)

So, much like in 2012, the Aggies will enter the season with little to no expectations.

Would Kevin Sumlin rather have it any other way?

In any event, here is the official release from the SEC offices.

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The competiveness of the Southeastern Conference was showcased in the annual media voting at SEC Media Days, as for the first time in the 23-year history in the poll, media were divided on divisional champion and overall SEC Champion. By a narrow margin, the Auburn Tigers were picked by media in attendance to capture the 2015 SEC Championship. Auburn received 96 SEC Championship votes, while the Alabama Crimson Tide was close behind with 80. The Georgia Bulldogs were third with 28 votes.
 
Alabama, however, was picked to win the SEC Western Division with 1,405 total points, while Auburn was second with 1,362. Alabama received 92 first-place votes in the West, while Auburn collected 108. The Crimson Tide won the Western Division vote due to receiving just three votes for fourth place or lower in the Western Division, while Auburn received 26 such votes. Points were awarded on a 7-6-5-4-3-2-1 scale.
 
Georgia was selected to win the SEC Eastern Division with 1,498 points, including 166 first-place votes. Tennessee was second with 1,231 points and 36 votes to win the division, while Missouri was third with 1,196 total points. The two-time defending East representative in the SEC Championship game also received 20 votes to win a third consecutive division title.
 
Five times since 1992 the SEC Media Days predicted champion has proceeded to win the SEC Championship, including Alabama last season.
 
The preseason All-SEC Team will be announced on Friday.
 
Western Division (1st Place votes in parenthesis)
School / Points
Alabama (92) 1405
Auburn (108) 1362
LSU (10) 870
Arkansas (6) 821
Ole Miss (3) 732
Texas A&M (4) 628
Mississippi State (2) 482
 
Eastern Division (1st Place votes in parenthesis)
School / Points
Georgia (166) 1498
Tennessee (36) 1231
Missouri (20) 1196
South Carolina (1) 830
Florida (1) 768
Kentucky (1) 534
Vanderbilt 243

SEC champion
School / Points
Auburn 96
Alabama 80
Georgia 28
LSU 9
Ole Miss 3
Arkansas 3
Texas A&M 2
Tennessee 2
Mississippi State 1
Florida 1