For all of the bad-mouthing SEC quarterbacks received last season, you’d think those guys never completed a pass.

Jacob Coker went from a guy some said wasn’t good enough to start to the key offensive player during Alabama’s two playoff victories.

There were questions about Chad Kelly, whether he would win the Ole Miss job. All he did was become the third SEC quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards in a season.

Rest assured, like Tim Williams flying in off the edge, the barrage of questions and criticisms will continue in 2016.

But here are five SEC offenses that can feel the most confident in their passing game.

5. Tennessee: The maturation process continues for Joshua Dobbs, who could take a Brandon Allen-like leap as a senior and top 3,000 yards passing for the first time in his career.

Dobbs, a rising senior, completed nearly 60 percent of his passes last season, but the Vols only threw 371 passes — 10th in the league.

They won’t abandon the zone read running game that makes them so difficult to defend, but Butch Jones is putting more of an emphasis on stretching the field.

We saw glimpses in the bowl game, two long seam strikes to the tight end.

Preston Williams is emerging as a deep threat. Alvin Kamara is a threat out of the backfield.

Jalen Hurd and Dobbs are known commodities who command a stacked box, and they’ll continue to create space for the receivers.

The difference in 2016 will be a renewed focus on finding them.

4. Alabama: Lane Kiffin will find his quarterback, and that guy will throw to arguably the best receiver/tight end trio in the conference.

The Tide threw for 3,407 yards and 22 touchdowns last season while Coker spent the first half of the season essentially on training wheels. The restrictor plate came off late in the season, and Coker took off in the postseason.

Credit Kiffin not only for the development but for the play-calling. He finds and exploits mismatches as well as any offensive coordinator in the country.

And in Calvin Ridley, ArDarius Stewart and O.J. Howard, he has three stars who are capable of creating a mismatch on their own.

3. LSU: The Tigers haven’t forgotten how to throw the football. They’ve just gone away from it the past two years, choosing instead to hand off to Leonard Fournette.

In 2013, LSU had two 1,000-yard receivers in Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr.

It shouldn’t shock anybody if the Tigers come close to doing that again in 2016. The late slide last season exposed the flaws on leaning so heavily on Fournette.

Travin Dural and Malachi Dupre will be in the NFL. Brandon Harris might not be, but he’s good enough to get them the ball this fall.

Incorporating Fournette into the screen game not only will save him some wear and tear but help push the Tigers toward the top five in passing.

There’s zero excuse for this team, with everybody back and Fournette keeping linebackers and safeties occupied, not to throw for 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns.

2. Texas A&M: The Aggies threw it 482 times last season — third-most in the SEC — despite all of their quarterback drama. That number could soar above 500 this season as Trevor Knight walks into an ideal setting: a proven offensive system and the best collection of wideouts in the league.

The names are familiar and dangerous. Christian Kirk topped 1,000 yards receiving last year as a freshman and should be a lock to reach that as a sophomore. Josh Reynolds topped 900 yards and finished fourth in yards per catch at 17.78.

Ricky Seals-Jones, at 6-5, 235, is a candidate to be a better NFL prospect than college player. Speedy Noil is ready to put 2015 in the rearview.

Texas A&M led the SEC in passing each of its first three years in the league. The Aggies are a threat to make it four out of five, primarily because there isn’t a more dangerous 4-wide set in America.

1. Ole Miss: The only reason the Rebels get the slight edge is Kelly came back. He’s the best quarterback in the league, and the gap is considerable. Knight should be fine running the Aggies’ attack, but Kelly already has proven he’s better than that.

He’s the reason the Rebels led the league in passing yards and passing touchdowns last season. He’s the reason they’ll likely do so again in 2016.

The Rebels’ inexperienced line is a tad overblown because Kelly doesn’t sit patiently in the pocket, anyway. Just like last year, he’ll move around and make a lot of pre-snap reads that result in quick, safe throws. Last year’s experience in the system and facing SEC defenses will only enhance his control of the game.

Ole Miss’ receivers aren’t as well known, yet, as A&M’s, but they will be. Quincy Adeboyejo averaged 15.9 yards per catch last season. Damore’ea Stringfellow was just shy of 14. Evan Engram is a quality safety valve.

Kelly is taking aim at becoming the first quarterback in SEC history to throw for 4,000 yards twice in a career. Ole Miss’ best bet is to put the offense in his hands again and let it fly.

Chris Wright is Executive Editor of SaturdayDownSouth.com. Email him at cwright@saturdaydownsouth.com.