For the most part, we’re all optimists here at SDS and believe in best-case scenarios. In a perfect world, every SEC team reaches bowl eligibility this fall and each squad dominates Power 5 competition outside of conference play.

But it’s not going to happen.

The haves and have nots will show up again and hopefully there’s a handful of elite teams that make the home stretch interesting in November.

Over the last month, we’ve projected every team’s best-case scenario. Today, we’re going to review those records and take it one humiliating step further by revealed each program’s worst-case scenario.

Enjoy.

ALABAMA

Best case: 11-1, 7-1; Worst case: 7-5; 4-4: It would take a litany of injuries and a comedy of errors for the Crimson Tide to lose five games this season, though the schedule isn’t doing Nick Saban’s squad any favors. Alabama could face as many as four Top 10 teams with a first-year quarterback and there are still lingering concerns in the secondary that several tempo-oriented offenses could exploit. If the Crimson Tide drop the opener to Wisconsin, look out.

ARKANSAS

Best case: 10-2, 6-2; Worst case: 5-7, 1-7; We aren’t expecting Bret Bielema’s team to suffer a tailspin during his third season, but stranger things have happened based on the Razorbacks’ brutal schedule. In November alone, Arkansas could battle four nationally-ranked teams down the stretch, a make or break period for the Razorbacks’ lofty postseason hopes. It’s important to get to the midseason bye week with at least five wins (after six games), but four’s more likely.

AUBURN

Best case: 11-1, 7-1; Worst case 6-6, 3-5:  Not buying into the hype? We’ll know if the Tigers are legit by Oct. 10, Auburn’s much-needed open date, following three games against Top 25 teams including Bobby Petrino’s upset-minded Louisville squad over the first five weeks of the season. In November, which turned out to be a nightmarish month last fall, the Tigers are at risk with games against Texas A&M, Georgia and Alabama.

FLORIDA

Best case: 9-3, 5-3; Worst case: 5-7, 2-6; The Gators’ SEC opener in Lexington is a must-win and Florida will take a 10-game series winning streak into the following week’s game against Tennessee. That streak will be in jeopardy if Jim McElwain’s ego is already bruised by the Wildcats and an 0-2 SEC start would prove fatal.

GEORGIA

Best case: 12-0, 8-0; Worst case: 6-6, 3-5; It should be known that if the Bulldogs win six games during the regular season in 2015, Mark Richt’s as good as gone after the season. This team’s far too talented as a division frontrunner to go astray, but October could prove cataclysmic against four conference teams if Georgia doesn’t bring its A-game.

KENTUCKY

Best case: 6-6, 2-6; Worst case: 4-8, 1-7; There’s not much in-between for the Wildcats this season who have an uphill climb toward six wins thanks to a challenging schedule, especially in October when Kentucky takes on Auburn, Mississippi State and Tennessee in consecutive weeks.

LSU

Best case: 11-1, 7-1; Worst case: 6-6, 2-6; Even if something outlandish occurs or a slew of injuries wreck the Tigers’ 2015 season, LSU will be safe from upsets during the soft non-conference portion of the schedule thanks to a considerable talent edge in those matchups. The conference slate is a different story entirely. The Tigers not only open with a road trip to Starkville and home bout against Auburn in Weeks 2 and 3, but they finish the season in November with four straight against Western Division rivals.

MISSISSIPPI

Best case: 10-2, 6-2; Worst case: 6-6, 2-6; A relatively light September puts the Rebels at worst, 3-1, heading into a pivotal conference stretch. Ole Miss has the SEC’s latest open date this season on Nov. 14 and is the league’s only team to play 10 straight weeks before a break. If things go south, the Rebels could be riding a three-game losing skid heading into a home showdown vs. LSU on Nov. 21 prior to the Egg Bowl the following weekend.

MISSISSIPPI STATE

Best case: 9-3, 5-3; Worst case: 5-7, 1-7; The bulldogs will finish 4-0 outside the SEC regardless of perceived weaknesses, but it could be a long season in the Western Division if Mississippi State’s defense doesn’t hold up its end of the bargain. The Bulldogs could realistically play four teams ranked inside the Top 25 down the stretch including Missouri (on the road, Thursday), Alabama and Ole Miss. Those matchups aren’t favorable for a team that could be facing a multi-loss tumble.

MIZZOU

Best case: 10-2, 6-2; Worst case: 6-6, 2-6; Benefiting from the league’s softest schedule on paper, the Tigers would have to take three steps back to finish .500 or worse this season including losses in three of their first four SEC contests (South Carolina, Florida and at Georgia). BYU presents the only real challenge outside league play, but even then, the Cougars don’t have the talent to matchup with the Tigers snap-to-snap.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Best case: 9-3, 5-3; Worst case: 4-8, 2-6; Here’s something to consider for a team projected to finish 7-5 by Vegas oddsmakers this fall during the regular season — the Gamecocks are the SEC’s only team to battle three bowl-qualifying squads during the non-conference portion of the schedule. South Carolina must start 2-0 (vs. North Carolina, vs. Kentucky) to avoid early headaches concerning bowl eligibility. Keep in mind, Steve Spurrier’s never had a losing season as an SEC head coach.

TENNESSEE

Best case: 10-2, 6-2; Worst case: 6-6, 3-5; Beat Oklahoma, please. If the Vols want to be considered a national threat, it starts with a win over the Sooners in Week 2. That would put Tennessee 3-0 heading into Gainesville with a chance to snap the decade-long skid. But two losses in four September games would mean the Vols are staring at a dismal 5-7 unless Butch Jones can work some magic down the stretch. Even a .500 season topped off with a seventh win in the bowl game equals disappointment for an ultra-talented football team.

TEXAS A&M

Best case: 10-2, 6-2; Worst case: 5-7, 2-6; The season opener will go a long way in determining early perception on what the Aggies can become this season, a nationally-ranked tilt against Arizona State at NRG Stadium in Houston. Judging worst case, that’s a loss and so are the Aggies’ first two SEC games (at Arkansas, vs. Mississippi State) prior to the team’s open date on Oct. 10 pre-Alabama. Even with a pessimistic mindset, cross-divisional games against Vanderbilt and South Carolina are favorable.

VANDERBILT

Best case: 5-7, 2-6; Worst case: 2-10; 0-8; There’s a couple games the Commodores absolutely can’t lose, starting with the season opener against Western Kentucky. Beginning Derek Mason’s second season with a loss with Georgia and Ole Miss looming over the next three weeks could spell early doom for this regime.