I know what you’re thinking: Is that headline a trick question?

As SEC quarterbacks go, there are many more question marks than exclamation points entering 2016. How else would you characterize a situation in which nine of the 14 teams likely will have a different starter on opening day than the guy who closed out this season?

With that in mind, here are the 10 best returning SEC QBs in 2016, allowing for graduate transfers who will be eligible to play.

10. Drew Barker, Kentucky: Given how many QBs played in 2015, there were many more contenders for the 10th spot than the top 3. Barker gets the edge over whomever claims the job at South Carolina … or Vanderbilt … or Arkansas … or Mississippi State or … you get the point. He replaced Patrick Towles, and while he didn’t do much as a true freshman, he didn’t expose as many flaws, either.

9. Greyson Lambert, Georgia: If Nick Chubb is healthy, the Bulldogs don’t need five-star recruit Jacob Eason to be a Day 1 savior, however unrealistic that expectation is, anyway. No, a healthy Georgia run game needs Lambert to be exactly what he was before Chubb got hurt — reliable. Predictably reliable.

8. Austin Appleby, Florida: He is a 6-5, 239-pound graduate transfer from Purdue, which used to know a thing or two about quarterback play before it fired Joe Tiller. He’s also a gunslinger. Interceptions forced him to the bench this past season, but he regained the job and threw for 332 yards and 2 scores in the Boilermakers’ season-ending loss to Indiana. It was one of four multi-touchdown games in the past two seasons.

He’ll enter fall camp with an edge on touted freshman Feleipe Franks and Luke Del Rio. His arm and Antonio Callaway’s big play ability could lead to quick strikes.

7. Cooper Bateman, Alabama: Remember, the Tide’s QB situation wasn’t so cut-and-dried as it appears now, with Jake Coker passing the Tide into the national championship game. Bateman played well enough in the first two games to earn a start against Ole Miss. Bateman was a four-star recruit and he’ll be throwing to four- and five-star recruits. He could be Bama’s next big thing.

6. Jeremy Johnson, Auburn: Is he a better pure quarterback than Sean White? Maybe. Maybe not. But he’s a better fit for what Auburn wants to do on offense.

5. Maty Mauk, Missouri: Hello, again. Remember him? Mauk threw 25 TDs in 2014. On talent alone, some might suggest he’s too low on this list. Reinstated after a season of foolishness, he’s the best QB Missouri has. Even better for Missouri, this is the last chance he has to prove it.

4. Jake Hubenak, Texas A&M: Here’s how A&M’s plug-and-play offense works: In one start with almost no reps during the season, Hubenak completed almost 60 percent of his passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns. A&M QBs will put up numbers. And Hubenak also will have the SEC’s most dangerous wideout combo in Christian Kirk and Josh Reynolds, assuming Reynolds doesn’t leave early for the NFL Draft.

3. Brandon Harris, LSU: He’s a popular target for criticism, but he has three things most QBs covet: Arm strength, standout receivers — and the Heisman Trophy frontrunner in Leonard Fournette. He won’t throw it 40 times a game, so he’s not going to throw for 3,500 yards or 25 TDs, but he has shown the ability to beat one-on-one coverage for big plays.

2. Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee: The Volunteers are sprinting toward 2016, not afraid of bumping their heads on the lofty expectations. Dobbs is a big reason for the optimism. Clearly the best and most accomplished QB in the SEC East, he accounted for 26 TDs (15 passing, 11 rushing) in 2015.

1. Chad Kelly, Ole Miss: The obvious choice for the top spot after becoming just the third SEC QB in history to throw for 4,000 yards in a season. He’ll have new targets in 2016, but they’ll help him make a run at Tim Couch’s single-season record (4,275).