The SEC East will be wide open in 2017. Georgia appears to be the trendy pick, but who has the most favorable schedule will help determine who navigates their way to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game Dec. 2.

Can Florida three-peat? Can Georgia win the East in Jacob Eason’s second season in Athens? Can the Vols make a run with a new quarterback and an upgraded coaching staff?

Florida, Georgia and Tennessee are the big three in the SEC East and their hopes to play for the conference championship will also come at the expense of what Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina and Vanderbilt are continuing to build. But those four are more than capable of spoiling a few dreams, too.

What will teams have to face with their conference schedule – and who has the toughest task?

Florida

The Gators have a favorable conference schedule. After opening the season against Michigan in Dallas, Florida will have a tuneup game versus Northern Colorado before SEC play kicks off.

Third-year head coach Jim McElwain will get rival Tennessee at home to begin conference play and will also play host to LSU and Texas A&M mid-season. Then the annual neutral-site matchup in Jacksonville against Georgia. The Gators’ rotating cross-divisional game is against Texas A&M, which will be breaking in a new quarterback.

Sept. 16 vs. Tennessee
Sept. 23 at Kentucky
Sept. 30 vs. Vanderbilt
Oct. 7 vs. LSU
Oct. 14 vs. Texas A&M
Oct. 28 vs. Georgia
Nov. 4 at Missouri
Nov. 11 at South Carolina

Georgia

The Bulldogs will have a tougher road to Atlanta than a year ago. Second-year head coach Kirby Smart will kick off conference play by hosting Mississippi State, which began playing better as the season went on with emerging dual-threat quarterback Nick Fitzgerald.

The following week, Georgia will travel to Knoxville and look to end a two-year losing streak against the Volunteers. The game could be Tennessee’s annual Checker Neyland as it is the Vols’ biggest home game in 2017.

The annual Cocktail party will be tough against Florida and hosting rival South Carolina and playing at Auburn follows.

Sept. 23 vs. Mississippi State
Sept. 30 at Tennessee
Oct. 7 at Vanderbilt
Oct. 14 vs. Missouri
Oct. 28 vs. Florida
Nov. 4 vs. South Carolina
Nov. 11 at Auburn
Nov. 18 vs. Kentucky

Kentucky

Mark Stoops enters his fifth year and looks to continue recent success by becoming bowl eligible in back-to-back seasons. The Wildcats’ SEC schedule is not easy, but will have the majority of their tough contests at home. And after traveling to Alabama last season, they get Ole Miss at home in their rotating cross-divisional game. Florida, Missouri, Tennessee also travel to Commonwealth Stadium this season. With non-conference games at Southern Miss and hosting Louisville, it is imperative that Kentucky takes care of business in at least half of their conference games to go bowling.

Sept. 16 at South Carolina
Sept. 23 vs. Florida
Oct. 7 vs. Missouri
Oct. 21 at Mississippi State
Oct. 28 vs. Tennessee
Nov. 4 vs. Ole Miss
Nov. 11 at Vanderbilt
Nov. 18 at Georgia

Missouri

After winning the SEC East in 2013 and 2014, Missouri will look to get back to its winning ways in 2017. Quarterback Drew Lock threw for 3,399 yards in his first year in offensive coordinator Josh Heupel’s system. It’s fair to expect Year 2 to be even more productive.

Missouri will need to get start fast, hosting South Carolina to kick off conference play. A win against the Gamecocks will be a must as the Tigers draw Auburn from the SEC West later in September. A four-game stretch in November of hosting Florida and Tennessee and traveling to Vanderbilt and Arkansas could determine if Missouri will be bowling in Barry Odom’s second season.

Sept. 9 vs. South Carolina
Sept. 23 vs. Auburn
Oct. 7 at Kentucky
Oct. 14 at Georgia
Nov. 4 vs. Florida
Nov. 11 vs. Tennessee
Nov. 18 at Vanderbilt
Nov. 25 at Arkansas

South Carolina

Will Muschamp enters Year 2 and already has the program heading in the right direction. Muschamp will have time and little pressure as he continues to recruit and build a well-rounded team, something he did not have as Florida’s head coach.

In order to be a factor in the East race in 2017, the Gamecocks will have to spring a couple of upsets, but South Carolina is good enough to do just that. With quarterback Jake Bentley gaining experience a season ago and having threats in all of the skill positions, supported by a defense that looks to get better, South Carolina has a legitimate chance of shaking up the East race.

The road schedule is difficult, however, with trips to A&M, Tennessee and Georgia, three of the largest and loudest venues in the SEC.

Sept. 9 at Missouri
Sept. 16 vs. Kentucky
Sept. 30 at Texas A&M
Oct. 7 vs. Arkansas
Oct. 14 at Tennessee
Oct. 28 vs. Vanderbilt
Nov. 4 at Georgia
Nov. 11 vs. Florida

Tennessee

The Vols are in a transitional year in replacing star quarterback Josh Dobbs. If Dobbs’ replacement guides the offense in a manner that he did over the past three seasons, Tennessee can make some noise in the SEC East race.

Playing at Florida to open conference play will be a tough task, but Tennessee finally has the 11-year losing streak off its back. Playing at Alabama will be another tall task, but hosting Georgia and LSU will help even the schedule out. Motivation from last year’s defeats against South Carolina and Vanderbilt should benefit this team.

Sept. 16 at Florida
Sept. 30 vs. Georgia
Oct. 14 vs. South Carolina
Oct. 21 at Alabama
Oct. 28 at Kentucky
Nov. 11 at Missouri
Nov. 18 vs. LSU
Nov. 25 vs. Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt ended the regular season on a high note by becoming bowl eligible at the expense of defeating their in-state rival Tennessee. But if the Commodores want to become bowl eligible again, they will have overcome a difficult conference schedule.

It starts with hosting the defending three-time SEC champion Alabama and then a road trip to The Swamp against the defending two-time SEC East champion Florida. The stretch does not end there, Georgia will travel to Nashville before Vanderbilt plays at Ole Miss ending a grueling four-game stretch before its bye week.

Sept. 23 vs. Alabama
Sept. 30 at Florida
Oct. 7 vs. Georgia
Oct. 14 at Ole Miss
Oct. 28 at South Carolina
Nov. 11 vs. Kentucky
Nov. 18 vs. Missouri
Nov. 25 at Tennessee