Using numbers as a guide, here are 20 facts to consider heading into Week 1 of the SEC schedule:

  1. Alabama will be making its 33rd appearance on ESPN’s College GameDay this week, and its 24th since 2007, which is the most in the nation during that time period.
  2. Though the South Carolina defense struggled in 2014, the Gamecocks return eight of their top 10 tacklers from last season.
  3. Mississippi State is averaging 501.7 yards of offense in the 20 games that Dak Prescott has started.
  4. Kentucky will start just three seniors on offense, and one senior at an offensive skill position. Both are projected to be conference lows, according to the Kentucky sports information staff.
  5. Georgia was one rushing touchdown shy of the school record (39) last season. The Bulldogs return four of their top five rushers from 2014, with first-round pick Todd Gurley as the missing piece.
  6. Ole Miss returns seven starters from a defense that held opponents to a FBS-best 16.0 points per game in 2014.
  7. While he may be a new face to Georgia fans, Bulldogs starting quarterback Greyson Lambert attempted 261 passes last season at Virginia, a number which was topped by only four returning SEC quarterbacks.
  8. Missouri linebacker duo Kentrell Brothers and Michael Scherer combined for 236 tackles last season, which ranks as the third-most among returning FBS duos and is tops among SEC returning duos.
  9. Arkansas’ projected starting offensive line played 3,411 snaps last season, which is tops among SEC projected starting offensive lines, according to the Razorbacks sports information staff.
  10. During the last two seasons, Auburn ranks sixth in the FBS is rushing yards per game (293.2), trailing only Navy, Georgia Tech, New Mexico, Army and Wisconsin.
  11. Maty Mauk and Russell Hansbrough are the SEC’s most productive returning quarterback and running back duo, producing 4,105 total yards for Missouri in 2014.
  12. Brandon Allen has thrown just one interception in his last 173 pass attempts for Arkansas.
  13. South Carolina‘s Pharoh Cooper is the only player in Division I football to be both his team’s top returning receiver as well as their top returning passer.
  14. Tennessee will open the season in the Top 25 for the first time since 2008.
  15. Vanderbilt OLB Stephen Weatherly had five tackles for loss against Tennessee in the final game of 2014. He returns as one of the Commodores’ premier pass rushers this season.
  16. Kentucky will look to build off a school-record six defensive touchdowns scored in 2014.
  17. Texas A&M returns four wide receivers that caught 29 or more passes last season.
  18. Florida‘s defense was the only unit in the country to hold an opponent to 150 yards of offense or less on three occasions last season. Only four other teams accomplished this feat twice in 2014.
  19. Including tight end Dillon Gordon, LSU‘s offensive line boasts 98 career starts entering the season.
  20. Since 2009, Alabama‘s defense has allowed the fewest touchdowns in the country. The Crimson Tide has allowed just 118 opponent touchdowns during the last 80 games.