What did everybody learn last year? Specifically, what did each SEC team take away from their 2017 season opener that they’ll take with them into 2018? For some schools, it’s something to remember, for others, it’s something to forget. But everybody learned something … hopefully.

Alabama: The (ACC) quarterback must go down

I forecast a year ago that Deondre Francois would be knocked out by the Tide and he was. In two games against the ACC, Bama’s defense lodged eight sacks. They also gave up 13 points. Louisville’s Jawon Pass should expect the same treatment.

Arkansas: Don’t get toasted by the pass

Last year’s 49-7 win over Florida A&M was about the last time that Arkansas looked like a decent football team. It also was the last time opponents didn’t throw at will. The Razorbacks gave up just 95 passing yards in that game, and they have to improve from last year’s 242 passing yards allowed per game.

Auburn: Sacks = success

After a few down seasons by the Auburn pass rush (21, 19, and 25 sacks in the 3 years before 2017), the Tigers dropped Georgia Southern’s passers six times on the road to a 37-sack season. Not coincidental that the win total went up as well.

Florida: Bring an offense

It seems like a million years ago that the Gators defense put up two touchdowns, the Gator offense put up nothing, and Michigan put up 33 points. Sure, Charleston Southern isn’t Michigan, but if Dan Mullen needs to drive home any points about offensive inefficiency, the tape from last year would be a good starting point.

Georgia: Keep an eye on that backup QB

Yes, a year ago, Jacob Eason was the Bulldog QB. Given that Jake Fromm was the opportunistic freshman who took the job and ran with it, guess is he’s going to be doing his best not to get Wally Pipped by Justin Fields.

Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Kentucky: Run it like you mean it

Kentucky was fortunate to escape from last year’s opener against Southern Miss with a win despite being outgained by 110 yards and being held to 78 yards rushing and 2.2 yards per carry. This Benny Snell-centric team will need a better start on the ground in 2018.

LSU: Bring it strong out of the gate

Analyst Phil Steele graded LSU’s 27-0 thumping of BYU in last year’s opener as the Tigers’ best performance all season. Given the major leap in competition between 2017 and 2018’s openers, they’ll need that kind of effort against No. 8 Miami.

Mississippi State: Run defense sets the tone

Granted, Charleston Southern’s 2-first-down performance last season didn’t give MSU much trouble. But MSU’s defense improved drastically mostly because they held opponents to 132 rushing yards per game and 3.8 yards per carry — helped by that 39 carries for 18 yards in last year’s opener.

Missouri: Bring the defense to the game

Last year, FCS Missouri State put up 43 points and 492 yards on the Tigers. Granted, as the year went on, Mizzou played much better … but they need to start out defensively like a team that’s looking for consecutive bowl bids instead of a team looking for a new defensive staff.

Ole Miss: Play two halves

Last year, the Rebels came out of the gate absolutely stumbling. They led South Alabama at intermission by a humble 13-10 margin before pouring it on in the second half. Against Texas Tech, a dozey first half will equal a loss. The Rebels have to put together a complete game to start with a victory. The Rebels failed to learn this very same lesson last year. Remember the 2016 opener? They dominated Florida State for a half but were outscored 32-6 in the second half of a 45-34 loss.

South Carolina: Being opportunistic can be better than being good

In last year’s opener, Carolina was outgained by 258 yards … and still beat N.C. State. Sure, they’re not going to get outgained by Coastal Carolina, but the moral of last year’s opener was that sometimes it’s better to be efficient with the chances you get than to be brilliant.

Tennessee: Stop the run

On some level, football is a fairly simple game. On that level, if you give up 535 rushing yards on 86 carries, you usually aren’t going to win games. Tennessee somehow gave up those numbers and beat Georgia Tech. It was about the last positive thing that happened in 2017. Here’s guessing Jeremy Pruitt’s defense can’t help but improve on that mark.

Texas A&M: Keep the foot on the gas

What else can you say about a 44-10 lead that became a 45-44 loss? If ever there was a team that has a good excuse for running it up, it’d be the Aggies.

Vanderbilt: Own the state

A good quick goal for the Commodores is to again sweep the state, which they began by beating MTSU 28-6 in last year’s opener. Given the sea change in Knoxville, Vandy has to stay well ahead of Middle, or the Derek Mason era could get sloppy in a hurry.