Here is a look at the biggest story line for each SEC team entering Week 9:

ALABAMA

Story line: Will the Crimson Tide be able to capitalize on opportunity against LSU?

Sure, the Crimson Tide is heading into a bye during Week 9, but do you really think that will stop all of us from looking ahead to the showdown with LSU in Week 10? The game that could perhaps be the most important of the SEC regular season deserves the two weeks of hype that it will receive.

ARKANSAS

Story line: Is this Razorbacks squad destined for the postseason after all?

The 2-4 start was hard on everyone involved with Arkansas football, but last week’s dramatic overtime win against Auburn has provided reason to be optimistic moving forward. With a gimme against UT Martin on the slate for Week 9, the Razorbacks should exit the week at 4-4 with a real chance at six wins.

AUBURN

Story line: Which Ole Miss team will the Tigers see on Saturday?

The Tigers are surely disappointed from the outcome of last week’s overtime game at Arkansas, but they don’t have much time to dwell on it with Ole Miss coming to town this week. The biggest question heading into this game is whether Auburn will see the Rebels team that mowed over Texas A&M at home last week, or the team that couldn’t stop anyone at Memphis the week before.

FLORIDA

Story line: Can the Gators seal the deal for the SEC East against their bitter rival?

OK, so technically Florida cannot clinch the SEC East with a victory against Georgia thanks to Vanderbilt beating Missouri last week, but the Gators will be close enough to Atlanta to taste it. Plus, no one expects Vanderbilt to win out this season, so it is merely a formality.

GEORGIA

Story line: Do the Bulldogs have a run at the SEC East championship left in the tank?

Georgia opened the season as the overwhelming favorite to win the SEC East, but things have changed dramatically in the last month with the emergence of Florida, the injury to Nick Chubb and the overall decline of performance on the field against Alabama and Tennessee. But the tune of pessimism can change with a win against the Gators on Saturday.

KENTUCKY

Story line: How do the Wildcats stop the “here we go again” vibe to the recent weeks?

Kentucky spent all off-season trying to figure out what went wrong for a 2014 Wildcats that went from 5-1 to 5-7 during a six-game losing streak to close the season. After starting the 2015 season at 4-1, the Wildcats have lost two straight and are staring matchups with Tennessee and Georgia square in the face.

LSU

Story line: Can the Tigers create a game plan conducive to winning on the road in Tuscaloosa?

LSU has the SEC West in the palm of its hands through eight weeks, so spirits should be sky high heading into the Week 9 bye. But there is no time to sit around and pat themselves on the back, as the most important game of the season is looming in Week 10. Can Les Miles draw up the right formula to keep the magic going with a win against Nick Saban’s Alabama squad?

MISSISSIPPI STATE

Story line: Dak’s performance has given reason to be optimistic for good things to come.

Not that he every really went away, but the Bulldogs have enjoyed vintage Dak Prescott during wins against Louisiana Tech and Kentucky during the last two weeks. With a Week 9 bye to get some of his weapons healthy, the Bulldogs should be optimistic about gearing up for stretch run that will make or break this 6-2 team’s season.

MISSOURI

Story line: Is this rock bottom for the Missouri offense?

Something has to give, right? The Tigers rank 127th out of 128 FBS teams in scoring offense, and managed just three points in a brutal loss at Vanderbilt in Week 8. With a bye in Week 9 in advance of a Thursday night game against Mississippi State, Missouri must find a way to generate some points to keep this season from coming completely off the rails.

OLE MISS

Story line: Are the Rebels positioned to make a run at the SEC West after all?

The Rebels have confused fans and analysts alike with recent underwhelming road efforts against Florida and Memphis, but they made a loud-and-clear statement about the state of affairs with a 23-3 drubbing of Texas A&M in Oxford last week. With only one conference loss, an upcoming date with LSU and a win against Alabama in their back pocket, the Rebels still have a very viable path to Atlanta.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Story line: Is there any shot at a road win at Kyle Field this week?

Going into the bye week, the chances probably seemed pretty slim. But the Aggies have dropped two games in a row and haven’t looked very good doing so, leaving the possibility that the Gamecocks could come in and steal a win. Interim coach Shawn Elliott has had two weeks to prepare for what would be a signature win for the former offensive line coach.

TENNESSEE

Story line: Kentucky is a “need to win” game for the momentum of the program.

The Vols don’t make a habit of losing to Kentucky very often, and this a season that Butch Jones needs to cash in on that trend holding true. Tennessee has played pretty well in all seven games this season, but the Vols enter Lexington with a 3-4 record. 3-5 wouldn’t be a good look for a coach that is trying to sell that his program is on the verge of competing for championships.

TEXAS A&M

Story line: Is this Aggies team about to fall apart at the seams?

As little as two weeks ago, Texas A&M was 5-0 and optimistic about its chances of knocking off Alabama at Kyle Field. Two ugly losses later, the Aggies are seemingly just trying to keep things together. South Carolina comes to town for a conference game that the Aggies should win, but if they don’t, it could be a sign of some much bigger problems.

VANDERBILT

Story line: How does Houston compare to some of the SEC teams on the Vanderbilt schedule?

Vanderbilt scheduled a nonconference series with Houston shortly after beating the Cougars in the Birmingham Bowl in January of 2014. It seems unlikely the Commodores would have done so if they would’ve known they’d be making a trip to play an unbeaten and nationally ranked Houston team in the midst of a brutal SEC schedule some 20 months later.