Will the SEC East rebound this season?

There’s several highly-anticipated divisional games — at least on the paper — that will help shape the league’s College Football Playoff hopes, notably Georgia and Tennessee who must tip-toe through a challenging slate with a single loss or fewer.

RELATED: 5 games that will impact the SEC Championship race

Unlike the West race, which will likely be determined down the stretch in November, most of the East’s top games will be played in October, giving the SEC a balanced schedule of must-watch games over the final eight weeks of the season.

Editor’s note: We’ve selected matchups only including two Eastern Division teams. Some of the SEC’s best games of the 2015 season feature cross-divisional battles, notably Georgia’s pair against Alabama and Auburn.

10 best SEC East games of 2015

10. Kentucky at Vanderbilt (Nov. 14) — A must-win for both teams, the victor increases bowl chances during crucial seasons for both Mark Stoops and Derek Mason.

9. South Carolina at Mizzou (Oct. 3) — At the site of Connor Shaw’s heroics during the 2013 season, the Tigers are gunning for back-to-back wins against the Gamecocks.

8. Florida at South Carolina (Nov. 14) — This one’s a game the Gamecocks will have to win to avoid coming dangerously close to their first losing season during Steve Spurrier’s tenure.

7. Tennessee at Kentucky (Oct. 31) — Likely of college football’s top ‘upset alert’ games during Halloween weekend, the Wildcats could be trying to avoid a cataclysmic 0-6 start to SEC play in the process.

6. South Carolina vs. Georgia (Sept. 19) — This heated border rivalry has been dominated by the Gamecocks in recent years, but almost every is decided in crunch time during the fourth quarter.

5. Tennessee at Florida (Sept. 26) — The Vols are hoping to snap a decade-long losing skid to the Gators, a pivotal contest during Tennessee’s hopeful march to Atlanta.

4. Tennessee at Mizzou (Nov. 21) — There’s a chance the Tigers will have to win-out in November to earn a third consecutive trip to the SEC title game and if that’s the case this fall, Faurot Field will be a zoo.

3. Georgia at Tennessee (Oct. 10) — Two perceived East frontrunners meet in Week 6 to eliminate the other from making serious noise in the division considering both face treacherous cross-divisional schedules this season.

2. Florida vs. Georgia (Oct. 31) — Mark Richt needs to win this season in Jacksonville, not only for the sake of his future but for the Bulldogs’ national title hopes as well.

1. Mizzou at Georgia (Oct. 17) — This one decides the Eastern Division’s frontrunner midway through the season and the Bulldogs remember what happened last time Gary Pinkel’s squad went between the hedges.