Much like we can count on the season to change from summer to fall, we can anticipate the shifting of power among the SEC’s football elite.

When you have as many top-tier college football programs as this league does, there are bound to be some really good programs going through rough times. After all, there are only so many wins to go around the league.

Things are going really well for Alabama and Auburn right now, but even those programs have seen some bad times in the last 20 years.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at three teams that have been through some rough patches recently, but soon could rise again and make a push for a potential College Football Playoff appearance. (Landing on this list doesn’t necessarily mean these teams will win big in 2015.)

Tennessee Volunteers

Why: You wouldn’t know it based on the way the program has performed since Phillip Fulmer was fired following the 2008 season, but the Vols used to be at the very top of the SEC food chain. The 1999 BCS National Champions could be looking at another run to the top with third-year coach Butch Jones if things break just right. Jones has delivered some regarded recruiting classes to replenish a roster that suffered from high turnover rates during the Lane Kiffin and Derek Dooley eras. More importantly, Jones has created a sense of stability for a program that desperately needed someone to commit to being in Knoxville for the long haul.

Biggest threats: The recruiting landscape has changed since the glory days under Fulmer. Though the state of Tennessee has improved in its production of SEC caliber players in recent years, there still aren’t enough of them to sustain a high-quality roster without several big out-of-state recruiting wins each year.

Florida Gators

Why: If there was ever any question as to how important a head coach is to a college football program, just take a look at the Gators. They were a perennial national championship contender under Steve Spurrier, only to come crashing down under Ron Zook and then find their way back up to elite status again under Urban Meyer. Unfortunately, the Gators have found themselves in one of the valleys again at the end of the Will Muschamp era. It remains to be seen if Jim McElwain will be more like Spurrier or Meyer than Zook or Muschamp, but he has all of the resources necessary to bring the back to the very top of the conference. The state of Florida has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to high-end recruits, and the appeal of spending your college years in the Sunshine State still provides plenty appeal.

Biggest threats: Make no mistake about it, this is a a rebuilding job. Muschamp brought a quality defense to the field as advertised, but he really let things slip on the offensive side of the ball. There just aren’t any Tim Tebow or Percy Harvin caliber playmakers on the roster right now, and it is going to take some time to re-stock the talent pool. Florida State’s recent success has not helped in the in-state recruiting battles.

Texas A&M Aggies

Why: Don’t underestimate the advantage of being the only SEC team in the state of Texas. The Aggies have invested a lot of money in top-notch facilities, have a one of the best offensive minds in college football at the helm of the program and play in one of the most fertile recruiting areas in the country. While Texas A&M has enjoyed a measured amount of success since joining the conference in 2012, the potential to be the league’s most elite program is still there. If John Chavis is able to get the Aggies defense whipped into shape over the next couple of seasons, it is not out of the question to say that this is a program capable of winning a national championship.

Biggest threats: Right now, the biggest threat for the Aggies is the division in which they play. The SEC West is loaded with six other teams playing at a high level. With Alabama, Auburn and LSU consistently posing a threat to be a Top 10 team in any given season, it is hard to project a clean path out of divisional play for Texas A&M. If Charlie Strong is able to revive the Texas program to playoff contender status, that could be a serious hindrance for the Aggies recruiting efforts.