The college football regular season spills out in short bursts every fall.

This year, in particular, time should go by fast — the SEC has shortened its calendar to 13 regular-season weeks. In a few short months from today, it’ll all be over with the exception of a few handfuls of bowls.

More than any other sport, college football requires adjusting one’s perception in a hurry. Take one or two games too many to assess the true value of a team and it’s too late. You’re well behind the best analysts and gamblers.

A big part of perception is relative. In other words, 9 wins is a darned good regular season in the SEC. But if everyone expects Georgia to win 10 or more games and claim an East Division title, predicting UGA to finish second or third constitutes relative doubt. Or, in the more casual vernacular, “you’re a hater.” (More on Georgia in a moment, but I expect the Bulldogs to win the SEC East.)

I’ve gone through all 14 SEC teams and admitted whether I’m a bandwagon fan, a hater or I feel neutral about the program entering the 2015 season. Keep in mind this is relative to what I perceive as the consensus expectations for each team.

Just for fun, I’ve also included my 2014 preseason feelings on each program.

ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE

2014: Neutral
2015: Neutral

It feels like the Tide play in a more narrow window each and every year. No longer is Alabama a dominant, sure-thing national favorite. There are too many question marks for that. But predicting the team to lose more than two regular-season games also seems foolhardy. Last year I picked Alabama to win the division almost by default, and the prediction came true.

In 2015, the front seven should be among the best Nick Saban ever has enjoyed. The secondary at least has the potential for significant improvement. But I’m skeptical that the offense can be quite as efficient as it was last season. Still, the Tide are as deep as any team in the country. A 10-2 regular season seems pretty likely.

ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS

2014: Hater
2015: Neutral

I never suspected the Arkansas defense nearly would carry the Razorbacks to a 10-win season in 2014. The running game, with two 1,000-yard rushers, got a lot of attention. But defensive coordinator Robb Smith unleashed a filthy, brutish front seven and tightened up the defensive backs during the second half of the season, leading to back-to-back shutouts of LSU and Ole Miss. Arkansas outperformed my expectations even more than the 7-6 record indicated.

This year, I’m expecting more of the same from the Razorbacks. The team may win 8 or 9 games. But I don’t see a huge leap forward or a noticeable slip on offense or defense. I suppose to some fans that will represent a disappointment. But in the SEC West, a fifth-place finish this year could be good enough to make the Top 25.

AUBURN TIGERS

2014: Neutral
2015: Bandwagon fan

By any metric, Auburn got very lucky in 2013 when it won an SEC championship. The Tigers escaped with more close calls than the “Prayer at Jordan-Hare” and “Kick Six.” It seemed unlikely Auburn could repeat that feat, especially when Carl Lawson tore his ACL during spring practice. But I never expected such a big fallout on the defensive side of the ball.

This year, I’m driving the Auburn bandwagon myself. I’ve picked the Tigers to win the SEC West, edging out Alabama with an Iron Bowl win. The defense should get much better, thanks to an influx of good personnel. And the offense should be as fascinating as any in the SEC in a long time. If coach Gus Malzahn really is one of the best in the country, it should show, as the Tigers are facing near-wholesale replacements among the skill players.

FLORIDA GATORS

2014: Hater
2015: Neutral

Florida fans seemed to cling to hope that the ill-fated pairing of coach Will Muschamp and quarterback Jeff Driskel could down some magic elixir and provide enough offensive support to threaten 10 wins. Instead, a very good defense wasn’t enough in close losses to LSU, South Carolina and Florida State. Muschamp’s firing seemed inevitable to most outside of Gainesville last preseason.

I’m higher than most on Florida entering the 2015 season. By no means do I think the Gators are ready to compete for championships, and may not be in 2016, either. But the team will start to form an offensive identity in spite of an inexperienced and potentially-leaky offensive line. I think Florida has been sandbagging us a little regarding redshirt freshman Will Grier. The defense should remain tough. Expect an approximation of last year’s team, except with the trajectory screaming “improvement” rather than “stuck.”

GEORGIA BULLDOGS

2014: Bandwagon fan
2015: Bandwagon fan

UGA clobbered eventual East Division champion Missouri — on the road, days after losing Todd Gurley — and still managed to find a way to fail. That’s despite the fact that co-favorite South Carolina’s season came unhinged early. The Gamecocks and Florida Gators found a way to upset Georgia, which was left to pout as it watched Mizzou knock off Arkansas to edge them out.

Yes, I know — just like my preseason prediction that Missouri won’t be competing for an East Division title this year, you’d think I’d learn. But I still think Georgia owns the most talented roster in the SEC East, and that disparity may be even larger this season. Mark Richt ends a two-year absence from Atlanta by winning yet another division title.

KENTUCKY WILDCATS

2014: Hater
2015: Neutral

I figured Kentucky easily could be the worst team in the SEC last season. I looked silly during the team’s 5-1 start, didn’t I? Alas, it didn’t last, and the Wildcats’ Swiss cheese defense cost the team the chance at a bowl game.

The defense still should have issues this year. But the Air Raid offense holds so much potential — and features so many young skill players — that Kentucky may be able to produce a facsimile of 2013 Texas A&M, attempting to race opponents to 40-plus points and occasionally getting there first.

LSU TIGERS

2014: Neutral
2015: Neutral

I never expected the Tigers to be so bad at quarterback last year. Not after Zach Mettenberger, Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry electrified LSU fans in 2013 before entering the NFL draft. Speaking of which, the constant drip of early defectors to the pros still couldn’t unhinge a terrific defense. The imminent departure of John Chavis seemed to distract the team during bowl preparations, and Alabama got a little lucky in a comeback overtime win — otherwise we’re probably talking about a 9-4 or 10-3 LSU team in 2014.

Perhaps Brandon Harris will latch onto Cam Cameron’s teachings and surprise us all. More likely, LSU will remain upper-middle class in a conference stocked with wealthy patrons. I don’t see the Tigers producing enough of a pass rush on defense, and until proven otherwise, the offense is too one-dimensional to avoid two or three regular-season losses.

MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS

2014: Bandwagon fan
2015: Hater

I didn’t foresee Dak Prescott and Josh Robinson leading Mississippi State to No. 1 in the country last year. But I did think the Bulldogs would upset Auburn and reach at least nine wins as the strongest sleeper team in the SEC last preseason.

This year, to borrow a turn of phrase from Borat, “not so much.” Call me a hater, but I think the ceiling for this team is fifth in the SEC West, and more likely the Bulldogs will finish last. An easy non-conference schedule at least makes a bowl game likely for Prescott and Mississippi State.

MISSOURI TIGERS

2014: Hater
2015: Hater

Might as well be consistent, right? I didn’t expect Missouri to win the SEC East last season — I figured Georgia was the best team — and certainly didn’t foresee the Tigers finishing 7-1 in the conference after an early-season loss to Indiana and a 20-7 fourth-quarter deficit at South Carolina.

It’s difficult for any team to replace 10 NFL draft picks in two years, but Missouri’s recruiting ranks near the bottom of the SEC every year. The additional losses of Harold Brantley and Marcus Loud may be too much to overcome — if you expect the team to again control the East Division. I see a fade, maybe to as far back as fourth or fifth in the SEC East.

OLE MISS REBELS

2014: Neutral
2015: Bandwagon fan

I admit: Ole Miss’ home win against Alabama caught me off guard last year. I never expected the Rebels to float into the top four of a College Football Playoff poll. If not for some devastating injuries and huge emotional letdowns, last year’s Ole Miss team surely would have won double-digit games.

This year, the roster includes five different players who are legitimate All-American candidates. The famed class of 2013 is trying to catch the eyes of NFL scouting departments while leaving a (final?) legacy in Oxford. If the team can establish some semblance of a running game, it’s possible the Rebels compete in the SEC West through the Egg Bowl.

SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS

2014: Bandwagon fan
2015: Hater

I didn’t figure South Carolina as a division favorite, but grudgingly slotted the team second in the SEC East last preseason. The Gamecocks had won 33 games in three years, and most counted them as at least a co-favorite with Georgia. Losing talent like Connor Shaw, Jadeveon Clowney and others cost South Carolina more than any of us realized. The team struggled to make a bowl game.

Steve Spurrier can puff out his bare 70-year-old chest and come after the “enemies” all he wants. I don’t care one bit whether South Carolina thrives or barely survives. It doesn’t affect my life. But I don’t see how Spurrier could sustain the 11-win pace even if he was 15 years younger, given the mini drought in South Carolina prep talent. The fact that he could get frustrated and decide to retire after any given season is just going to make it more difficult for him to get the talent to compete at a top 10 level. Plus, with the potential re-emergence of Tennessee, and Florida and Georgia teams looking for revenge, and games against North Carolina and Clemson, the 2015 slate is a tough one.

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS

2014: Hater
2015: Bandwagon fan

Tennessee didn’t return a single starter along the line of scrimmage — on offense or defense. Coupled with a challenging schedule that included a game at Oklahoma, I didn’t figure the Vols would even make a bowl game. Instead, thanks to the emergence of players like Derek Barnett and Joshua Dobbs, UT snuck into the postseason with a late surge and then clobbered Iowa.

This year, I think the Vols are the second-best team in the SEC East. I’m not expecting a championship run. The team still is too thin and too young for that. But, at the top of the depth chart, this team is good enough to compete with anyone for a single game. Nine wins is possible.

TEXAS A&M

2014: Hater
2015: Neutral

Even as the Aggies pounded the South Carolina Gamecocks into submission on the opening Thursday of the season, then coasted to a 5-0 start by beating up Lamar, Rice and Souther Methodist, I was telling anyone who would listen not to buy into the Texas A&M bubble. I was right — the Aggies closed the regular season 2-5, including a 59-0 loss at Alabama.

I don’t expect such wild peaks and valleys this year out of College Station. Nor do I expect the team, even with new defensive coordinator John Chavis, to play good enough defense to win the West Division. But the Aggies are gearing up to field what should be a top 15 team — at worst — in 2016.

VANDERBILT COMMODORS

2014: Bandwagon fan
2015: Hater

Sure, Vandy lost coach James Franklin, receiver Jordan Matthews and a number of recruits. But we figured that former Stanford defensive coordinator Derek Mason could keep things rolling in Nashville and at least compete for another bowl game. Boy, were we wrong. Vanderbilt was lucky to win three games.

This fall, it’s going to be difficult for the Commodores to improve on those three wins. The team already lost its No. 1 receiver, starting left tackle and starting quarterback since the end of spring practice — on an already-woeful offense. Even the non-conference schedule, which doesn’t include a power-conference opponent, looks tricky this year.