One game remains in the 2015 season and the book will be closed. But it’s never too early, especially for football fans in the Deep South, to look ahead to the 2016 season.

National Signing Day is coming up on Feb. 3 and rosters are already taking shape with the comings and goings of the various transfers around the conference. Spring practices will be here before you know it and it will be time to start thinking about those opening kickoffs.

So what are the areas each team could struggle with next season?

Alabama Crimson Tide

Running back: With junior Derrick Henry likely headed to the NFL and senior Kenyan Drake out of eligibility, the Tide could be looking for their next big star in the backfield. A pair of freshmen is next in line on the depth chart and a highly-touted recruit out of North Carolina also will vie for the spot. It could be the first time in quite a while that the Tide don’t start the season with a Heisman hopeful at RB.

Arkansas Razorbacks

Slow start: Over the past two seasons, the Hogs have finished strong after very slow starts. Outside of replacing a couple of interior linemen on offense, Arkansas should be poised to have a big season in 2016. That is, if the Hogs can avoid stumbling out of the gate a third consecutive time. But it won’t be easy. Arkansas is at TCU and Texas A&M and plays Alabama in the first half of next season.

Auburn Tigers

Linebacker: The Tigers should be pretty salty on offense if they get decent quarterback play and replace a couple of receivers. Defensively, replacing LBs Kris Frost and Justin Garrett will be a key, along with the additions of a couple of secondary players. Those spots will be critical in Auburn getting its defense up to SEC standards. If they can do that, a rebound from a 7-6 season is a distinct possibility.

Florida Gators

Right side of OL: Right guard, right tackle and tight end are positions of question marks. With two freshmen along the line and a sophomore tight end next up on the depth chart, this is a critical area in the development of the Gators offense and protection for a quarterback still trying to find his legs. Looks like Florida will rely heavily on its defense again in 2016.

Georgia Bulldogs

Coaching: The Bulldogs have question marks on both offensive and defensive lines as well as at linebacker. But the biggest question will be with first-year head coach Kirby Smart. Under the tutelage of Nick Saban at LSU, the NFL’s Miami Dolphins and most recently Alabama, Smart has the experience to win. The question is does he have what it takes to be a head coach. All 17 years of his coaching career has been as an assistant.

Kentucky Wildcats

DL/LB: The Wildcats were very young on offense. A year of experience should make them battle-tested for 2016. But the other side of the football takes a hit. Three of the four DLs are seniors and the backups are very young. The story is the same at LB, where two seniors must be replaced and freshmen are next in line on the depth chart in both spots.

LSU Tigers

LB: Two of the Tigers’ LBs are seniors; another is a junior who could declare early for the NFL draft. That could make things very dicey for LSU first-year DC Dave Aranda. Coming over from Wisconsin, Aranda will earn his pay if he has to replace the entire LB corps. There’s very little experience behind the talented group and Aranda’s abilities to develop the position will be put to the test.

Mississippi State Bulldogs

Quarterback: Bulldogs fans had gotten spoiled watching one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC the past couple of years. But Dak Prescott will be leaving Starkville and coach Dan Mullen must help develop the next big name at the position. Two redshirt freshmen stand behind Prescott on the depth chart and the cowbells will be ringing again if one of those emerges as the next standout.

Missouri Tigers

Coaching: There are many holes to be filled, especially along the offensive line and defensive secondary. But the big question that remains to be answered is if first-year head coach Barry Odom has what it takes to be that guy. All 14 seasons in his coaching career have been as an assistant. His plate is certainly full in his first season at the helm.

Ole Miss Rebels

Holes everywhere: Seven players on offense and six on defense must be replaced. There are holes all over the place. Standout juniors WR Laquon Treadwell and LT Laremy Tunsil highlight the group that has played their last games in Oxford. If QB Chad Kelly stays for his senior season, it will be a big boost to an otherwise nearly all-new offense.

South Carolina Gamecocks

OL: Will Muschamp gets another chance to be a head coach. Highly regarded as a defensive mind, Muschamp has a good nucleus to work with in his first season with the Gamecocks. However, it’s the other side of the football that gets the spotlight here. The offensive line will be decimated by graduation. Three seniors along the line, plus a senior tight end must be replaced.

Tennessee Volunteers

Secondary: The Volunteers certainly appear to be a team on the rise. With a plethora of talent on offense and nearly all coming back, the Vols have to be a team considered for East Division honors. However, replacing nearly the entirety of its secondary is a must if the Vols plan on keeping the opposition off the scoreboard in 2016.

Texas A&M Aggies

Offense: It seems strange to say that the Aggies’ biggest question marks are with their offense. But in 2016, that is indeed the case. Aside from replacing the better part of the offensive line, the Aggies will welcome in former Oklahoma QB Trevor Knight as well as a new OC, who is yet to be named.

Vanderbilt Commodores

OL: Returning the majority of the team from last season, the Commodores will need to develop a couple players along the offensive line as well as a tight end. Other than that, an improvement in overall talent, given a year of experience, should be expected.