ARKANSAS
Cruise control: The Razorbacks improved from 3-9 in 2013 to 7-6 last season and can continue the rapid rise if they can continue to be as strong defensively under coordinator Robb Smith. Arkansas allowed just 10 points a game in its last six contests of 2014 and shut out LSU and Ole Miss. The offense has quarterback Brandon Allen and tailback Alex Collins back, but tailback Jonathan Williams, a 1,190-yard rusher last year, is out for months with a foot injury.
Pump the brakes: Arkansas could be challenged to be as strong defensively this year given that Trey Flowers and Darius Philon are gone from up front, as is Martrell Spaight at linebacker. The Hogs could really miss Williams, and can Allen rally them if they fall behind by more than one score? The more he is throwing, the more likely Arkansas is playing catch-up, but a disappointing season this year would be another 7-6 mark.
AUBURN
Cruise control: There are plenty of reasons to believe in this year's Tigers, beginning with Gus Malzahn's frenetic offense that now will be controlled by massive junior quarterback Jeremy Johnson, who has completed 57 of 78 passes in his career. Duke Williams is among the nation's best receivers when he behaves, but the chief reasons for excitement are new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp and the return of defensive end Carl Lawson from a torn ACL.
Pump the brakes: Auburn lost its last four games against Bowl Subdivision opposition last season, allowing an average of 41 points in those games. Was that the fault of former coordinator Ellis Johnson, who compiled an impressive resume in the SEC, or was it because of a back seven who often looked pedestrian? Having Lawson back will definitely help, and the stretch of Arkansas, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Georgia will make or break this bunch.
FLORIDA
Cruise control: Jim McElwain may be the latest proof that offensive backgrounds (Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer) work better than defensive backgrounds (Ron Zook and Will Muschamp) for head coaches in Gainesville. The Gators are 11-13 the past two years but have been stout defensively and will be again with the return of ends Jonathan Bullard and Bryan Cox and cornerbacks Vernon Hargreaves and Jalen Tabor.
Pump the brakes: Florida has won more SEC titles than any other school since the league went to divisions in 1992, but it's hard to compete for a crown with so much uncertainty on offense. Will Grier has yet to take a snap at quarterback after redshirting last season, while Treon Harris was competitive as a freshman but showed limitations. The top concern is an overhauled offensive line, which does have touted tackle Martez Ivey in the mix.
KENTUCKY
Cruise control: The Wildcats went from 2-10 in 2013 to 5-7 last season, but they were 5-1 heading into a mid-October game at LSU. Patrick Towles topped Drew Barker in a healthy quarterback competition, and Kentucky returns four starters up front on an offense that scored 30 or more points in half of its league games. Safety A.J. Stamps, linebacker Josh Forrest and tackle Melvin Lewis are among the six senior defensive starters.
Pump the brakes: The six-game losing streak to end last season is an obvious concern, as is a 2015 signing class that paled to the 2014 crop. Kentucky yielded a staggering 157 points in its last three games, and that was with a pair of NFL selections - Bud Dupree and Za'Darius Smith - on the defensive front. Kentucky will play eight games this season in newly renovated Commonwealth Stadium, so last year's 0-5 road record will not be matched.
LSU
Cruise control: There may not be a better collection of skill-position players in the SEC, with tailback Leonard Fournette coming off a 1,034-yard freshman season and with the receiving quartet of Travin Dural, Malachi Dupre, John Diarse and Trey Quinn, who combined for more than 1,500 yards. Kendell Beckwith is the defensive leader at middle linebacker, and there is again talent in the secondary, though safety Jalen Mills (ankle) may miss a month.
Pump the brakes: LSU has won a whopping 103 games in 10 years under Les Miles, with John Chavis serving as defensive coordinator for six of those seasons. Chavis is now at Texas A&M, so it's up to former Alabama inside linebackers coach Kevin Steele to keep things going. LSU's 162.9 passing yards per game ranked last in the SEC a year ago, and who knows how much more the Tigers could have achieved under Miles with better quarterback play?
MISSISSIPPI
Cruise control: The Rebels have gone from seven to eight to nine victories in Hugh Freeze's first three years as coach, and there are plenty of reasons to believe a 10-win season is right around the corner. Ole Miss could have four of the top 20 selections in next spring's NFL draft with tackle Laremy Tunsil, receiver Laquon Treadwell, defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche and safety Tony Conner, but the most difficult mismatch may again be tight end Evan Engram.
Pump the brakes: Although Bo Wallace had his struggles late last season, he was quite good in guiding the Rebels to a 7-0 start. Now the quarterback chores likely will fall on former Clemson quarterback Chad Kelly, who played last fall at East Mississippi Community College. Tunsil's summer saga has been put to rest, but the biggest hurdle to a 10-win season may be a conference schedule that includes road games against Alabama and Auburn.
MISSISSIPPI STATE
Cruise control: Dan Mullen is entering his seventh season in Starkville and has averaged more than eight wins in each of his last five, topped by last year's 10-3 finish. The Bulldogs have the league's most established quarterback, Dak Prescott, and the league's most overlooked receiver, De'Runnya Wilson. Mississippi State has been known for cranking out defensive linemen, with Chris Jones and Ryan Brown being the latest in that standout line.
Pump the brakes: With only four offensive starters and four defensive starters returning, the Bulldogs will have the least amount of starting experience of any SEC team. Replacing running back Josh Robinson, who rushed for 1,203 yards last season, could be a difficult assignment and may place more pressure on Prescott. Reaching 10 wins again is a bit optimistic, but the Bulldogs at worst should be heading to a sixth consecutive bowl appearance.
MISSOURI
Cruise control: Missouri begins this season with hopes of becoming the first SEC team to win its division three straight years since Florida won the East five consecutive times from 1992 to '96. Redshirt junior quarterback Maty Mauk already has 14 career victories, and running back Russell Hansbrough returns after a 1,084-yard season. Three starters return on the line, and the linebacker duo of Kentrell Brothers and Michael Scherer head the defense.
Pump the brakes: The Tigers already were having to replace defensive ends Markus Golden and Shane Ray and then lost defensive tackle Harold Brantley in late June with a leg fracture in an auto accident. It could add up to a sizable challenge for new defensive coordinator Barry Odom, who was considered by many to be the star of the spring. The star of the program is head coach Gary Pinkel, who has five 10-win seasons in the last eight years.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Cruise control: Only Alabama and LSU have superior records to South Carolina's 40-12 mark the past four seasons, and Steve Spurrier is confident he has another strong team. The Gamecocks have the league's most versatile player, junior receiver Pharoh Cooper, who had 1,136 receiving yards last season, rushed for 200 yards and 7.4 yards per carry and threw for two scores. New coordinator Jon Hoke is expected to breathe life into the defense.
Pump the brakes: South Carolina's slide from three straight 11-2 seasons to last year's 7-6 record either reflects a program in decline or a one-year blip. This program has good players, but are there any more elite talents such as Marcus Lattimore and Jadeveon Clowney? Two newcomers to watch who could prevent further slippage are defensive ends Marquavius Lewis and Dante Sawyer, who arrived via separate junior colleges.
TEXAS A&M
Cruise control: Offense never seems to be a problem at Texas A&M, and this year should be no different with the return of quarterback Kyle Allen, running back Tra Carson and receivers Josh Reynolds, Ricky Seals-Jones and Speedy Noil. The defensive woes of the past couple of seasons may have been mended in the offseason, when Kevin Sumlin swiped coordinator John Chavis from LSU. Games against both Alabama and Auburn are at Kyle Field.
Pump the brakes: Chavis has work to do. Defensive end Myles Garrett had a fabulous debut with an SEC-record 11.5 sacks, but there were plenty of long afternoons and nights for the Aggies, who lost 48-31 at Mississippi State and 59-0 at Alabama. Eight starters are back on defense to complement the eight starters on offense, and repeating last season's 8-5 record and 3-5 league mark should lead to a warmth in Sumlin's seat in College Station.
VANDERBILT
Cruise control: Although there was nothing pleasant about Derek Mason's debut year as coach, when the Commodores plummeted from 9-4 to 3-9, at least he and his staff, which does not contain a single SEC graduate, are more familiar with the league. Two redshirt sophomores, tailback Ralph Webb and linebacker Nigel Bowden, could be on the verge of competing for all-conference consideration, and Mason is calling defensive signals like he did as a Stanford assistant.
Pump the brakes: Returning quarterbacks Johnny McCrary and Wade Freebeck combined for 10 touchdowns and 13 interceptions last season, so they will have to be noticeably better if the Commodores are to bounce back to respectability. Their top target, redshirt sophomore receiver C.J. Duncan, suffered a season-ending knee injury this month, as did two-year starting left tackle Andrew Jelks, giving Vandy the worst August of any SEC team.
- David Paschall