Repeating as the SEC East champions will be no easy task for Florida in 2016, but a favorable schedule could help if the Gators can get by an early-season showdown at Tennessee.

There’s a good chance coach Jim McElwain will be breaking in a new quarterback next fall unless incumbent Treon Harris somehow improves dramatically this spring and summer. His team, which was ranked No. 25 in the final Associated Press poll after finishing his first season in Gainesville at 10-4, should breeze through its first three games at home this coming season, including a Sept. 10 SEC opener against Kentucky.

But asking any potential new quarterback to play well in his road debut the following week at Tennessee on Sept. 24 will be a tall order. The Vols will be the clear-cut division favorites after returning the bulk of this year’s team that finished ranked 22nd after the closing the season with six consecutive victories, including a 45-6 pasting of Northwestern in the Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day.

Florida could be in pretty good shape if it can somehow steal a victory in Knoxville. Unlike Tennessee, the Gators don’t play Alabama in either of their two crossover games with the SEC West. Instead, Florida gets winnable games with LSU at The Swamp and at Arkansas. The game against the Leonard Fournette-led Tigers will be one of seven home games for Florida in 2016.

In addition to quarterback, the Gators also have some major holes to fill on defense, but they will nonetheless likely be favored in almost every other game within the SEC East. However, the annual matchup with Georgia could be tricky if Bulldogs tailback Nick Chubb is back to form after suffering a season-ending knee injury back in early October.

Another 10-win season is possible for Florida, but a lot of things will have to break just right for that to happen.

Here’s a closer look at the 2016 schedule.

SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN
Home games (7): Massachusetts (Sept. 3), Kentucky (Sept. 10), North Texas (Sept. 17), LSU (Oct. 8), Missouri (Oct. 15), South Carolina (Nov. 12), Presbyterian (Nov. 19).
Road games (4): Tennessee (Sept. 24), Vanderbilt (Oct. 1), Arkansas (Nov. 5), Florida State (Nov. 26).
Neutral games (1): Georgia (Oct. 29)
Longest home stretch: 3 games (Massachusetts, Kentucky and North Texas)
Longest road stretch: 2 games (Tennessee, Vanderbilt)

OPPONENT BREAKDOWN
2015 ranked teams (final regular season poll): No. 10 Ole Miss, No. 16 LSU, No. 22 Tennessee
2016 ranked (early projections): No. 7 LSU, No. 11 Tennessee, No. 23 Georgia
Potential trap games: at Vanderbilt (This game has all the makings of an upset should the Gators beat UT a week earlier. The Commodores gave Florida all it could handle in 2015).
Toughest SEC games: at Tennessee, LSU and Georgia (in Jacksonville)

FULL SCHEDULE
Week            Opponent                  Venue
1                     Massachusetts         Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
2                     Kentucky                  Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
3                     North Texas             Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
4                     Tennessee                Neyland Stadium; Knoxville, Tenn.
5                     Vanderbilt                Vanderbilt Stadium; Nashville, Tenn.
6                     LSU                           Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
7                     Missouri                   Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
8                     Open date
9                     Georgia                     EverBank Field; Jacksonville, Fl.
10                   Arkansas                   D.W. R. Razorback Stadium; Fayetteville, Ark.
11                    South Carolina        Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
12                   Presbyterian             Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
13                   Florida State             Doak Campbell Stadium; Tallahassee, Fl.