Here is a look at the biggest story line for each SEC team entering Week 8:

ALABAMA

Story line: Has the Crimson Tide reasserted itself as the team to beat in the SEC?

LSU fans have plenty of ammunition to combat this argument, but the Crimson Tide has returned to its dominant ways in recent weeks, putting a Week 3 loss to Ole Miss well into the rear-view mirror. A visit from Tennessee, which has lost eight straight to Alabama, is just the next in a tough stretch of conference games that Alabama must win to keep its SEC title defense alive.

ARKANSAS

Story line: Will the return from a bye week present a healthier, rejuvenated Razorbacks squad?

The first half of the season did not go as planned for the Razorbacks, but a home game against Auburn looks much more winnable than it did in the preseason. Quite frankly, this is a game Arkansas likely needs to win if it is going to get the four wins necessary to become bowl eligible during the next six weeks.

AUBURN

Story line: Can the Tigers salvage this season after all?

Auburn fans entered 2015 with visions of an SEC championship and a potential invite to the College Football Playoff. Those hopes were crushed by uninspiring play in the first half of the season. But the Tigers came away with a big road win at Kentucky last week, improving their record to 4-2. A win at Arkansas would even their conference record at 2-2 and give hope for a second-half push.

FLORIDA

Story line: Will the Gators use the extra time off to take significant steps toward tailoring their offensive attack to QB Treon Harris’ strengths?

With QB Will Grier off the table for a full calendar year and the subsequent first loss of the season to LSU on the record, the Gators need this bye week to regroup for the stretch run. It will be interesting to see if the Gators emerge from that time off with any significant changes to what they are trying to do on offense, or if they’ll stick with what worked so well early on.

GEORGIA

Story line: Can the Bulldogs rally the troops for a run at the SEC East during the bye week?

Things haven’t been great for Georgia for a few weeks now, but the Bulldogs did what they had to do against Missouri last week. With Florida’s loss to LSU opening up an opportunity for Georgia to jump back into the SEC East race with a win against the Gators in Week 9, there should be plenty of motivation to get things fixed in Athens this week.

KENTUCKY

Story line: Can the Wildcats prevent last week’s loss to Auburn from becoming the beginning of a slide in conference play?

Last week’s Thursday night game was the beginning of a five-week onslaught of SEC opponents for Kentucky. The Wildcats entered that game at 4-1 and had ample opportunity to win, but can they bounce back in time to keep things from snowballing on them like they did in 2014. A trip to Starkville on Saturday looms large for the psyche of this team.

LSU

Story line: Can the Tigers defense stay focused and not overlook a sneaky good non-Power 5 opponent?

The Tigers are riding the emotional high of a huge home win against Florida, and it would be easy to phone in a performance against Western Kentucky on Saturday before heading into the bye week in preparation for Alabama. But the Hilltoppers are worthy of full attention, sporting one of the most explosive passing attacks in the FBS. They are 6-1 and averaging nearly 50 points per game the past six weeks.

MISSISSIPPI STATE

Story line: A win against Kentucky sets the tone for the second half of the season.

The Bulldogs finished up nonconference play with a win against Louisiana Tech last week, pushing their record to 5-2. A win against Kentucky qualifies the Bulldogs for postseason play, evens out their conference record and puts them in a position to conceivably make some noise in the SEC West if they’re able to get on a roll.

MISSOURI

Story line: Losing three of four hurts, but a loss at Vanderbilt would be a knock-out punch to Missouri’s season.

The only people more frustrated by the Missouri offense than the Tigers fans are most likely the members of the Missouri defense. The Tigers have seemingly paired one of the nation’s best defenses with one of the conference’s worst offenses. Lucky for the Tigers, Vanderbilt has the worst offense in the league. But if they can’t outscore them, things could get ugly down the stretch.

OLE MISS

Story line: Can the Rebels keep this season from completely derailing?

It probably seems like a decade ago to Ole Miss fans, but the Rebels were ranked in the Top 3 just a few short weeks ago. Last week’s loss to Memphis was discouraging, but the Rebels still only have one loss in league play. Things don’t get any easier when Texas A&M comes to town on Saturday. Hugh Freeze and company have their work cut out to keep what was once a promising season from completely falling apart.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Story line: Will Shawn Elliott use the bye week as an opportunity to really put his stamp on the program?

Elliott was rushed into head coaching duties with the resignation of Steve Spurrier in advance of the Gamecocks win against Vanderbilt. Aside from playing music at practice and other subtle changes, there really wasn’t much time to make adjustments. With a week off, he’ll get his chance to make more serious changes, if he’s so inclined.

TENNESSEE

Story line: Is this the year the Vols get back into the win column in the Alabama rivalry?

This would have seemed like a silly question a few weeks ago, but the Vols have to be feeling good following a win against Georgia and a bye week to get healthy. We’ll see if Butch Jones made good use of that extra week to prepare for the Crimson Tide, which holds an eight-game winning streak in the rivalry.

TEXAS A&M

Story line: How will the Aggies perform in their first game outside of Texas?

Texas A&M lost its first game of the season against Alabama last week, but the Aggies have the chance to stay in pretty good shape in the SEC West race with a win against Ole Miss. It will be the first time the Aggies leave the state of Texas for a game this season, having played its only non-home games to this point in Houston and Arlington.

VANDERBILT

Story line: Will the Commodores be able to muster enough offense to win a game against one of the league’s top defenses?

The Commodores’ matchup with Missouri actually looks much more favorable in the days leading up to it than it did in the months leading into the season. Vanderbilt has established a solid defense that is more than capable of keeping a floundering Missouri offense off the scoreboard, but the Commodores are also unlikely to put points on the board against a stout Tigers defense.