The same (old) win/loss rules apply within your division. You have to beat more teams in your division than any other team. If you look at the home division schedules as the one that counts the most, you can never have that dilemma. The best team in the West will still play the best team in the East.
The old rules with divisions was overall sec record, no delineation of specifically vs division record. If only division record matters go to a 7 game conference schedule because those other games are in no meaningful way different than any out of conference game.