The days of the SEC East being the red-headed stepchild of the conference just might be a thing of the past.

Georgia appears primed for a run at its first outright SEC Championship in 10 years, but the Bulldogs could get some stiff competition from Tennessee among others within the division.

The Dawgs, who last won the SEC East and reached the conference championship game at the Georgia Dome in 2012, are loaded with talent on both sides of the ball and rate as the heavy favorites.

But don’t rule out the Vols or Missouri, the winner of the previous two SEC East crowns.

Some like Vanderbilt will clearly have a larger mountain to climb, but everybody is optimistic at this time of the year. But here’s a look at each team, and what things need to break right for them to have a shot at winning the division.

GEORGIA

  1. Establish the power running game once more: The Bulldogs boasted one of the nation’s most potent rushing attacks in 2014, averaging better than 257 yards per game on the ground behind stud tailback Nick Chubb and one of college football’s best offensive lines. The favored Dawgs will again need to establish themselves up front and primarily make their living off their running game if they are to get back to Atlanta for the first time since 2012.
  2. Develop consistency at the quarterback position: Graduate transfer Greyson Ramsey has been handed the keys to the kingdom after edging Brice Ramsey and Faton Bauta to be the starter. Ramsey, who struggled at times with his decision-making while at Virginia, will have to show more consistency than the 10-touchdown, 11-interception effort he managed while guiding the Cavaliers last year. It’s hardly a secret that Georgia is a power running team, so opposing teams will stack the line of scrimmage in the hopes of slowing down the Georgia running game. Lambert will have to be able to make them pay for doing so.
  3. Avoid the annual hiccup: It seems like there’s one game every year where the Bulldogs just go through the motions and lose a game they have no business losing. Last year’s 38-20 loss to Florida took the wheels off all the momentum the Dawgs had accrued earlier by going on the road and beating down Missouri, 34-0. The year before that was an even-more-shocking loss at Vanderbilt. Georgia is loaded with talent, but must come to play every Saturday.

TENNESSEE

  1. Keeping QB Joshua Dobbs upright: Dobbs is an emerging star who saved his team’s season last year following the injury to Justin Worley. His ability to make plays with both his strong arm and nimble feet make him dangerous with the ball. But protecting him will be a challenge for a Volunteers offensive line that surrendered a league-worst 43 sacks in 2014. The losses of starting left guard Marcus Jackson and backup guard Austin Sanders to season-ending bicep injuries didn’t help.
  2. Dealing with high expectations once again: The Vols haven’t been relevant in the SEC since last winning the SEC East and reaching the conference championship game in 2007. But consecutive recruiting bonanzas by coach Butch Jones and the return of 18 starters from last year’s team that won a bowl game has the UT faithful confident that things are back like they used to be. But these young Vols will need to be careful thinking they’ve arrived just yet.
  3. Staying healthy: UT will field its most talented team in years, but it still lacks the kind of depth Georgia has, so staying healthy will be imperative. The Vols can’t avoid more losses than they’ve already suffered in preseason with the losses of Jackson, Sanders and cornerback Rashaan Gaulden (fractured foot).

MISSOURI

  1. QB Maty Mauk must bounce back: Mauk threw 25 touchdown passes, but completed just better than 53 percent of his attempts in 2014 while nursing a minor shoulder injury. He’ll have to do better if the Tigers spread offense is to consistently move the football.
  2. Finding targets for Mauk: Mizzou is without all three of its starting receivers from a year ago and four of the team’s top five pass catchers. No returning receiver caught more than five passes last year, meaning a number of unproven players will have to deliver if the Tigers hope to grab a third consecutive SEC East crown.
  3. Take advantage of a favorable SEC schedule: Missouri hosts South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi State and Tennessee at home, while going on the road to face Kentucky, Georgia, Vanderbilt and Arkansas. Take care of business at home and the Tigers will again be in the hunt to get back to the Georgia Dome.

SOUTH CAROLINA

  1. Get consistent quarterback play from Connor Mitch: The redshirt sophomore edged out junior Perry Orth to get the starting nod, but he’ll need to perform if he wants to stay there. Steve Spurrier is no stranger to pulling quarterbacks, especially when the competition for the job was so close. Mitch has just six career passes to his credit, but he’ll have to learn quickly.
  2. Get the ball to Pharoh Cooper as much as possible: The junior is the SEC’s top returning receiver after tallying 69 catches for 1,136 yards and nine touchdowns last year. Cooper earned first-team All-SEC honor as a wide receiver and second-team accolades as an all-purpose back. He finished third in the conference in receptions, second in receiving yards and receiving yards per game (87.4), fourth in receptions per game (5.3) and ninth in all-purpose yards per game (108.5). Cooper even completed five of eight pass attempts for 78 yards and two scores.
  3. Generate a pass rush: The Gamecocks ranked last in the SEC a year ago with their meager 14 sacks, well below the 44 Missouri registered to lead the conference. The lack of pressure on opposing quarterbacks and overall shaky play up front played a key role in the disastrous season of a year ago. Several newcomers will be asked to help remedy that right away.

FLORIDA

  1. Get improved quarterback play: Both Will Grier and Treon Harris will see action in Florida’s season opener against New Mexico State as the battle for the starting job continues, but whomever emerges will need to produce more. The Gators have struggled to find a consistent quarterback since Tim Tebow’s days in Gainesville ended. Grier, a redshirt freshman, was the national high school player of the year in 2013, but has yet to take a college snap. Harris started six games as a true freshman in relief of the departed Jeff Driskel last fall. Neither Florida quarterback has completely won over new coach Jim McElwain just yet, and his dreams of a sophisticated vertical passing game hinge on their development.
  2. Develop the offensive line: The Gators enter the season with just one offensive lineman who has started a major college football game. A lack of depth and experience could be Florida’s undoing in the rugged SEC if the line doesn’t come together quickly.
  3. Survive the scheduling gauntlet in October: The schedule makers didn’t McElwain in any favors in October, pitting the Gators against four teams – Ole Miss, Missouri, LSU and Georgia – ranked in the initial Associated Press Top 25 poll. If the Gators can somehow scratch out two wins during the month, they should be in contention.

KENTUCKY

  1. Take care of business at home: Ten of Kentucky’s 12 opponents this season advanced to postseason play last year, but the Wildcats have the luxury of facing eight of them at the friendly confines of the newly-renovated Commonwealth Stadium. It’s only the second time in school annals (2007 was the other) that the ‘Cats will play that many home games. Kentucky has to win more than its share of those games if it hopes to somehow contend in the SEC East or record its first winning season since 2009.
  2. Replace a lot of production on defense: The ‘Cats lost seven defensive players who played key roles, including three veteran defensive linemen. They accounted for more than half of their team’s sacks last season, nearly half the quarterback hurries and more than 35 percent of Kentucky’s tackles for loss. It won’t be easy replacing all that production with so many new faces.
  3. Finally get over the hump: It was hard for Wildcats fans to go the entire season knowing they were just a play away in beating both Florida and rival Louisville. If UK is to officially shed its SEC doormat label, it’s going to have beat somebody of note to drive the point home. Close just doesn’t cut it anymore.

VANDERBILT

  1. Find a playmaker not named Ralph Webb on offense: It’s hard to imagine any team being more offensively-challenged than Vanderbilt last season. The Commodores ranked last in the SEC in both scoring offense (17.2 ppg.) and total offense (288.3 ypg) after failing to even generate more than 10 points in four of their eight conference games. New coordinator Andy Ludwig will have to be creative, but finding a capable quarterback will be his top priority.
  2. Create turnovers with more pressure on opposing quarterbacks: Vanderbilt returns almost its entire defense and will need to scheme different ways to pressure opposing quarterbacks into turnovers to make things easier for the Vandy offense.
  3. Continue to emphasize special teams: The kick return game was sometimes Vanderbilt’s best offense last year, as Darrius Sims averaged nearly 25 yards per return and scored two touchdowns. The Commodores will need more of the same to help an offense that needs all the help it can get.