The SEC East will have a new look in 2015 with three teams potentially emerging as the front-runner for the division title.

Tennessee is vastly improved, thanks to consecutive top-five recruiting classes. Georgia and Missouri will rely on their old ways, running and defense, respectfully. Questions abound in South Carolina and Florida, while Kentucky and Vanderbilt fight for relevancy in a division that promises to be unpredictable this fall.

Predicting the SEC East is never easy. But we’re going to try anyway. Here are 10 bold predictions — including several lighthearted ones — for the SEC East in the 2015 season:

1. Georgia RB Nick Chubb surpasses 2,000 rushing yards on the ground

Nick Chubb led the SEC East in rushing last season by nearly 500 more yards than the next-closest divisional opponent in Missouri’s Russell Hansbrough. Chubb’s total is remarkable considering he deferred snaps — five games with less than 10 rushing attempts — to now-St. Louis Rams running back Todd Gurley. Gurley and Chubb averaged a combined 26 snaps in 2014. Even if Chubb maintains his 7.1 YPC average this season as a sophomore, he still stands to flirt with 1,800 yards at around 20 carries per game. He’s capable of monster games. For evidence, look no further than his 266 yards against Louisville in the Belk Bowl. Chubb reaches the elite 2,000 club in 2015, a fraternity that just two running backs in the nation (Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin, and Tevin Coleman, Indiana) joined last season.

2. Tennessee fields the top defense in the division

Since switching from a base 3-4 defense to a 4-3 two years ago, the Tennessee defense is a new-look bunch. The Vols cut their yards per game by more than 100 last season and should continue to do the same this year with a unit that returns nine starters. Led by linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin (101 tackles, 11 TFL), Tennessee overtakes Georgia for the top defense in the SEC East in 2015. In the process, the Vols jump from the No. 36 overall defense in the nation to inside the top-20.

3. South Carolina WR Pharoh Cooper sits on the Heisman podium

If he’s not catching a touchdown, Pharoh Cooper is rushing one in … or throwing one to a teammate. The guy can do it all. The SEC’s top returner for receiving yards (1,136 yards) and receptions (69) figures out a new quarterback and dominates once again in 2015, catching the eye of the nation with his ability to catch, run (2 TDs, 200 rushing yards) and throw (2 TDs, 62.5 completion percentage). Did we mention he also returns punts? Sadly, Cooper doesn’t follow George Rogers as the only Gamecocks player to win the prestigious award.

4. Kentucky QB Patrick Towles leads the SEC East in passing

Patrick Towles missed some easy passes last season. Still, the Kentucky quarterback finished with 2,718 yards and returns this year as the SEC East’s leading incumbent quarterback. The junior fixes his accuracy issues in 2015 and throws for more than 3,000 yards, thanks in part to leading wide receiver Ryan Timmons.

5. Only Missouri and Tennessee win games against SEC West opponents this year

The SEC West is nothing short of a powerhouse, boasting five teams in the preseason USA Today Coach’s Poll — and the first two leading vote-getters sitting outside the poll. According to the coaches, the SEC East will play 10 of its 14 cross-divisional games against teams that began the season ranked. Georgia clocks in at No. 9, but, unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they draw No. 3 Alabama at home and No. 7 Auburn on the road.

Out-of-division conference games:

  • Florida: vs. No. 15 Ole Miss, at No. 13 LSU
  • No. 9 Georgia: vs. No. 3 Alabama, at No. 7 Auburn
  • Kentucky: vs. No. 7 Auburn, at Mississippi State
  • No. 23 Missouri: vs. Mississippi State, at No. 20 Arkansas
  • South Carolina: vs. No. 13 LSU, at Texas A&M
  • No. 25 Tennessee: vs. No. 20 Arkansas, at No. 3 Alabama
  • Vanderbilt: at No. 15 Ole Miss, vs. Texas A&M

6. Vandy knocks off Georgia … again

Vanderbilt has done it before. Just ask South Carolina and Georgia. They’ll do it again. The Commodores throw a monkey wrench into the early SEC East race with a Week-2 beating of Georgia in Nashville. Unranked Vanderbilt knocked off No. 16 Georgia in 2006, and then did it again for good measure to the No. 15-ranked Bulldogs in 2013. The Commodores punched the No. 6 and No. 24-ranked Gamecocks in the gut in 2006 and 2007, respectively. The Bulldogs get stung (sunk?) again this year.

7. The SEC East will feature one less bowl team this year

Pencil in Georgia, Missouri and Tennessee for bowl games, as the triumvirate should compete for the SEC East title. South Carolina will have to scrap for it, beating the likes of Central Florida, Clemson and North Carolina, but the Gamecocks earn the division’s final bowl berth. Kentucky and Vanderbilt are outmatched, which leads us to…

8. Florida will not earn a bowl bid in 2015

Jim McElwain will do what Will Muschamp also did: fail to win big with Will Muschamp’s players. Florida will start strong under the first-year Gators coach — who guided Colorado State to a 10-2 record last season — but surviving a brutal five-game stretch against teams ranked in the preseason Coaches Poll will prove difficult. Florida plays host to No. 25 Tennessee and No. 15 Ole Miss before hitting the road to face No. 23 Missouri and No. 13 LSU. After a bye week, the Gators return home to No. 9 Georgia. The difference between a bowl game or not will be whether Florida can manage a win or two during that stretch.

9. Tennessee wins the SEC East

Georgia, Missouri and Tennessee likely will vie for the SEC East crown — the winner figuring to claim the division with about nine wins. Essentially, the SEC East comes down to who can win on the road. After Tennessee and Georgia take care of business at home in consecutive weeks in October, the Volunteers travel into Columbia and put an end to Missouri’s bid for an SEC East three-peat.

  • Oct. 10: Georgia at Tennessee
  • Oct. 17: Missouri at Georgia
  • Nov. 21: Tennessee at Missouri

10. Volunteers are denied a College Football Playoff bid

Butch Jones has his team ready to play in Atlanta as Tennessee beats Alabama for the first time since Erik Ainge was under center for the Vols in 2006. The upset once again sends shockwaves through college football days later when the committee denies Tennessee the final spot in the College Football Playoffs — instead awarding the slot to Baylor and/or TCU.