More often than not, the East tends to be a three-horse race between blue-blood programs Florida, Georgia and Tennessee.

The first 18 installments of the SEC Championship Game — from 1992-2009 — featured one of those teams representing the division. Not until 2010, when South Carolina broke finally through, were the big boys left out in the cold.

The Gamecocks have never been back, though. Kentucky and Vanderbilt are yet to make an appearance, of course. While Missouri twice caught the rest of the league off guard as a relative newcomer in 2013-14, the Gators have gone to Atlanta each of the last two seasons. The Bulldogs should be the favorites this year.

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The seven squads in the East would all have a much better chance to make it to the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in December if they could squeeze just one more year out of a key contributor lost off the 2016 roster.

Whether they exhausted their eligibility or departed early for the pros, imagine if these players were still at their respective schools.

FLORIDA

CB Jalen Tabor

Deciding to leave the Gators after his junior season, Tabor was a second-round draft pick of the Detroit Lions.

Even if Tabor didn’t fare well during the pre-draft evaluation process, as he tested rather poorly and had some off-the-field issues, he was still tremendous in coverage for UF. He’s one of the reasons why Florida is neck-and-neck with LSU right now for the coveted title of “DBU.” He’ll be tough to move on from in Gainesville.

Tabor played with a chip-on-his-shoulder attitude that worked for coach Jim McElwain and Co., who continue to get overlooked.

GEORGIA

WR Isaiah McKenzie

Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

He ended up going in Round 5 to the Denver Broncos, although McKenzie didn’t appear to be quite as NFL-ready as Tabor.

Bulldogs fans would feel much more giddy about Year 2 of quarterback Jacob Eason if he had reliable targets in the passing game. Emerging tight end Isaac Nauta was just a freshman last year, so McKenzie was the only one Eason could trust in a big moment. The veterans left on the depth chart don’t inspire much confidence.

Additionally, McKenzie was a terrific return man. It doesn’t get talked about enough, but UGA’s special teams have been woeful lately.

KENTUCKY

C Jon Toth

After Drew Barker went down and the Wildcats put Stephen Johnson in at QB, offensive coordinator Eddie Gran was all about the ground game.

Both Stanley “Boom” Williams and Benny Snell ran for over 1,000 yards, and Toth deserves a lot of the credit for paving the way. Not only was he a quality blocker, but he knew everyone’s assignment and helped a one-dimensional attack score more TDs (49) than Georgia (38), Vanderbilt (36), Florida (35) or South Carolina (33).

Toth was a senior last year but ended up going undrafted. Nevertheless, he was a standout performer in the SEC.

MISSOURI

DE Charles Harris

Harris, on the other hand, left the Tigers following his junior campaign and was a first-rounder to the Miami Dolphins.

There is reason to believe that junior Drew Lock is ready to bust out and be one of the premier signal callers in the conference, but he can’t play both sides of the football. While Mizzou’s front four was supposed to be a strength in 2016, first-year coach Barry Odom ended up fielding the worst defense in the league statistically.

D-end Marcell Frazier, who remains in Columbia, might have an even harder time now that Harris no longer lines up across from him.

SOUTH CAROLINA

OT Mason Zandi

Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Like Toth, Zandi was a senior last season but didn’t hear his name called in the draft. He did sign with the Los Angeles Chargers, though.

If there’s a sneaky squad in the East for 2017, it could be the Gamecocks. The offense appears to be set up at the skill positions with Jake Bentley throwing, Rico Dowdle running and both Deebo Samuel and Hayden Hurst catching. The line is also loaded with experience, but replacing blind-side protection is always a crap shoot.

Making a paycheck on Sunday may prove to be beyond Zandi’s grasp. Still, he was a solid starter on Saturday.

TENNESSEE

QB Joshua Dobbs

Just like former Mississippi State field general Dak Prescott the previous April, Dobbs went No. 135 overall in Round 4.

Prescott is already a star with the Dallas Cowboys. While Dobbs isn’t expected to unseat Ben Roethlisberger any time soon with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he’s going to be very difficult to replace for the Volunteers. In addition to his running and throwing, he was an incredible student and the face of that program.

Quinten Dormady and Jarrett Guarantano are currently competing for QB1 in Knoxville. Both have big shoes to fill.

VANDERBILT

LB Zach Cunningham

With nothing left to accomplish at the collegiate level, Cunningham declared for the pros and went in Round 2 to the Houston Texans.

So long as Derek Mason is the head coach, the Commodores will bring more to the table defensively than offensively. Cunningham did it all for Vandy in 2016. Not only did he lead the SEC in tackles by a pretty wide margin, but he was also an accomplished pass rusher, could drop into coverage and even lined up on special teams.

Mason is one of the more underrated minds in the college game on D, but how he compensates for Cunningham’s exit is anyone’s guess.