One of the most fun, entertaining SEC debate templates involves projecting the trajectory of every program.

Which coach has his team trending in a good direction? Which coach will retire or be fired in the next few years? Is 2012 as good as it gets for Nick Saban at Alabama, or will he outdo himself yet again in the next three seasons?

We’ll try to identify the peak season of all SEC programs within a six-year window, looking at the previous three and the next three editions of each team. Which iteration has or will produce the best results?

Alabama: 2012

This team held opponents to 14 points or less in 11 games, including the 42-14 blowout of Notre Dame in the BCS Championship Game.

In addition to that, the offense featured the most accomplished quarterback of Nick Saban’s career (AJ McCarron), a bevy of future NFL skill players (Amari Cooper, Eddie Lacy, T.J. Yeldon, Kevin Norwood, Kenny Bell) and perhaps the greatest offensive line in school history.

Alabama could win another national title in the next three years and likely still wouldn’t produce a team as good as the ’12 version, whose only blemish was a 29-24 shocker to Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M.

Arkansas: 2017

The Razorbacks have produced nothing worth bragging about in the last three years.

It’s tempting to slot 2015 as the Razorbacks’ peak season, as the team features a third-year starting quarterback (Brandon Allen) as well as arguably the best backfield duo in the country (Jonathan Williams, Alex Collins).

Because of such important losses, the team may stagnate or slip a tiny notch in ’16. But coach Bret Bielema appears to be adding depth at every position, especially along the line of scrimmage.

So in ’17, perhaps with a second-year starter at quarterback and some new star skill players, the team very well could rank in the Top 15.

Auburn: 2016

The ’13 Tigers were awesome, winning 12 games and coming within a play or two of a national championship. But that Auburn team also got lucky, finishing 6-1 in one-possession games and sneaking by Georgia and Alabama on “miracle” finishes.

It’s possible that Auburn wins an SEC championship and is part of the College Football Playoff this year, as the media predicted this program to win the conference just a few days ago. But I think next season has potential to be even better for coach Gus Malzahn.

Receiver Duke Williams will be gone. But if Auburn gets players like Jeremy Johnson, Carl Lawson and Jovon Robinson back for ’16 — not a guarantee — the Tigers could be ranked No. 1 in the country to start the year.

Florida: 2012

Call it the “fool’s gold” syndrome. Whether it’s a relationship or an industrial mine, thinking that something is better or more valuable than it is can lead to wasted time.

That’s what happened with Florida, courtesy of the 2012 season. The Gators went 4-1 in one-possession games. A stacked defense allowed just 14.5 points per contest as the team went 11-2 and finished the season ranked No. 9.

Coach Will Muschamp’s ground-and-pound offense a) wasn’t a good philosophy for the team’s traditional culture and geography, and b) presented a margin of error too small for an evolving college football landscape dotted with up-tempo offenses.

But that 11-win season cost the program at least one season, as otherwise Muschamp wouldn’t have kept the job through 2014. Coach Jim McElwain may be able to get the Gators back to a New Year’s Six bowl game by 2017, but expecting it in the next two seasons is a stretch.

Georgia: 2012

The Bulldogs are my selection to win the SEC in 2015, but there aren’t many who agree. Nick Chubb, an underrated offensive line and the team’s sterling trio of outside linebackers should be enough to at least win the SEC East, and then we’ll see from there.

UGA can go ahead and label ’12 as “the one that got away.” Despite a no-show at South Carolina, the Bulldogs found themselves within yards of an SEC championship win against Alabama. The team completed a pass to the 5-yard line only to watch the final seconds drain away in a 32-28 loss to an opponent that went on to win the national championship by four touchdowns.

Aaron Murray threw for nearly 4,000 yards in ’12, Todd Gurley exploded onto the scene as a true freshman, Keith Marshall was healthy in the backfield, and the team featured other strong NFL talent on both sides of the ball.

Kentucky: 2016

The Wildcats just need to make a bowl game once in the next three seasons to elevate themselves above the ’14 team that started 5-1.

This year is a bit of a transition, with new offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson, Stanley “Boom” Williams taking a lead role in the offense and a pair of defensive ends headed to the NFL.

But the team’s young talent and high-octane offense should excel in ’16 if the defense can play just a little better. I expect the team to make a bowl game then, if not this fall.

LSU: 2017

Assuming the passionate, lovable Cajun yahoos don’t run Les Miles out of town, the team finally should discover good quarterback play by ’17. Perhaps Brandon Harris will become a third-year starter. Perhaps Feleipe Franks will arrive next year and become one of the top dual-threat players in the country.

There’s no question the talent pipeline to Baton Rouge, La., isn’t slowing down. The team has a legitimate shot to rake in the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class this spring. The defense, backfield, offensive line and receiving corps should remain full of NFL bodies. And it’s tough not to suspect LSU will get better at quarterback in the next three seasons.

Looking back, the Tigers put together consecutive 10-3 seasons, finishing the year ranked No. 14 in both ’12 and ’13. So that’s the benchmark this team is trying to top in one of the next three seasons.

Mississippi State: 2014

There’s a reason that the Bulldogs never have spent five weeks ranked No. 1 in the country.

What coach Dan Mullen, quarterback Dak Prescott and a few handfuls of talented role players accomplished last season was historic. Even with the parity so prevalent in today’s SEC, it will be difficult for Mississippi State to duplicate 10-3 with a No. 11 final national ranking.

The team took advantage of a down year for LSU, Auburn and Texas A&M in its ascension to second place in the SEC West. The Bulldogs should be happy if Mullen and the team can muster a pair of Top 25 finishes in the next three seasons.

Missouri: 2013

The Tigers have won back-to-back SEC East titles.

Last year’s group was a vintage SEC team propelled by a strong running game and stifling defense. But the high-powered ’13 version was a deeper team that was much closer to national championship caliber.

Shane Ray and Markus Golden were the third and fourth defensive ends. Bud Sasser was the fourth receiver. Marcus Murphy was the third running back. Michael Scherer barely played at linebacker. Remember, that team trailed Auburn by just three points entering the fourth quarter of the SEC championship.

Ole Miss: 2015

Coach Hugh Freeze has elevated the Rebels’ program to the point where I don’t think we’ll see Ole Miss take a nosedive once the famed ’13 recruiting class leaves Oxford, Miss.

But forget the concerns at quarterback and in the backfield. This year’s roster could feature an astounding four early-entry first-round NFL draft picks in Laquon Treadwell, Laremy Tunsil, Robert Nkemdiche and Tony Conner.

The team knows it can beat the best after last year’s win against Alabama. There isn’t a dominant preseason favorite. It wouldn’t be a shock to see this team hang around all year, unlike the ’14 version that faded late.

South Carolina: 2013

The future looks grim for the Gamecocks, at least relative to the 11-win standard that coach Steve Spurrier achieved from 2011-13.

That ’13 team, led by impeccable senior quarterback Connor Shaw and No. 1 draft pick Jadeveon Clowney, came within a heartbreaking two-point loss at Tennessee of playing in the SEC championship game. South Carolina achieved a No. 4 ranking in the final Associated Press poll that season, leading to inflated expectations last year.

With Tennessee and Florida poised to ascend back to the top of the SEC East, Georgia still going strong and Missouri and Kentucky playing scrappy ball with varying degrees of success, South Carolina may have a rough time recapturing that level between now and ’17.

Spurrier is one of the SEC’s most iconic figures. But at this point it’s tough to imagine him generating the recruiting momentum he’d need to get this roster back to a top 10 group nationally.

Tennessee: 2016

It’s an ongoing testament to how far Derek Dooley plunged Tennessee into the depths of the SEC that even after two excellent years by coach Butch Jones, the Vols still are a fringe Top 25 team.

This year’s group is a bit of a tease in that it presents some top-end talent like Derek Barnett and Jalen Hurd. But the Vols still lack SEC depth at several positions and may not be built to survive the rigors of an eight-game conference schedule plus Oklahoma.

Give Joshua Dobbs one more year to develop at quarterback, retain all that young future NFL talent for another year and add one more recruiting class. Then imagine how good Tennessee could be in 2016. It may be enough to compete for championships.

Texas A&M: 2012

I was very tempted to go with ’16 or ’17 here.

But the ’12 team finished No. 5 in the country, knocked off a strong eventual national champion on the road and won 11 games with one of the most entertaining SEC offenses all-time.

Johnny Manziel won a Heisman Trophy for his efforts. The offensive line featured three first-round picks, a fifth-round pick and an undrafted free agent who is still in the NFL. Ryan Swope and Mike Evans made for an intimidating pair of pass-catchers.

If defensive coordinator John Chavis can turn the defense into a top 15 unit in the next three years, though, there’s at least a chance A&M could produce an even better season.

Vanderbilt: 2012

The only real choice here is between the ’12 and ’13 seasons, both of which saw the Commodores finish inside the AP Top 25.

The fact that coach Derek Mason probably enters ’15 with the hottest seat of any SEC coach — in just his second year, mind you — doesn’t portend well for Mason’s ability to produce a James Franklin type historic season in Nashville.

The outside perception of this year’s team, at least, is that winning two SEC games and reaching 5-7 would be a pretty outstanding development. Even if that unfolds, that would leave Mason two years to jump another nine wins.

The ’12 Commodores finished with a 5-3 SEC record despite three East Division teams that finished the season ranked in the Top 10. Those games represented all three of the team’s conference losses. That team probably was James Franklin’s best at Vandy.