In the rough-and-tumble SEC, most every conference game really matters. But there are some that are more important – and tougher to win – than others.

Here are the toughest conference games for all 14 SEC teams this season, based on opposition, timing and trends:

Alabama: Despite winning SEC titles in 2014 and 2015, there was one SEC blemish each year for Alabama. That, of course was the Ole Miss Rebels, who have beaten the Crimson Tide two years in a row. Thankfully the losses didn’t doom the Tide’s SEC chances last year because Ole Miss stumbled later against Florida and Arkansas, but that can’t go on forever. So this year’s meeting in Oxford on Sept. 17 is huge.  It’s the first SEC game for each team and the Rebels will have a decided edge on experience at the quarterback position with Chad Kelly coming back and the Tide still unsure who their QB will be. This one is a biggie, maybe even the biggest.

Arkansas: Last year was deemed a successful season for the Razorbacks, despite getting off to a horrible start with losses to Toledo and Texas Tech. The key to 2016 is getting off to a good start, especially in the SEC. So the conference opener might be the toughest – at least mentally – because the Razorbacks can’t afford to stub their toe on Sept. 24 against Texas A&M at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Arkansas’ secondary ranked near the bottom of the NCAA stats last year and it’s going to be important to keep the dangerous Aggies receivers in check. With big boys looming – Arkansas gets Alabama and Ole Miss on back-to-back weekends in October – beating A&M is a must. This is a big mental hurdle for the Hogs.

Auburn: When Auburn went into last year ranked No. 6 in the country and then played horrible right from the get-go, it sent a lot of Tigers fans off howling at coach Gus Malzahn. Fact was, though, the Tigers just weren’t that good. Which brings us to 2016 and no one is really sure how good the Tigers are going to be. An interesting test will come on Sept. 24 at home against LSU, which should be very powerful and physical on both sides of the ball. Leonard Fournette is still around to run over people for LSU and the defense has just about everyone back. Can Auburn hang with them physically, or will they roll over? This will be interesting to see.

Florida: Despite plenty of late-season ugliness, Jim McElwain’s first season at Florida had to be considered a success because it ended with an SEC East championship. And there were some nice highlights, most notably a 27-3 thumping of Georgia in Jacksonville that probably was the final nail in Mark Richt’s coaching coffin in Athens. So the biggie this year? No doubt it’s going to be the rematch with the Bulldogs on Oct. 29 in Jacksonville. As McElwain and first-year Georgia coach Kirby Smart take this rivalry into the next generation, getting the upper hand early is important to both sides.

Georgia: See above (Florida Gators). Ever since Kirby Smart signed on the dotted line to take over for Mark Richt, he’s been talking with a lot of bravado and the push is on for championships. That’s not going to happen unless Smart wins the Florida-Georgia war year after year, both at the cocktail party on Oct. 29 in Jacksonville but every other day of the year with recruits. It’s going to be important to set the stage early and come away with a victory in this heated rivalry.

Kentucky: The hottest coaching seat in the SEC probably is simmering in Lexington, where Mark Stoops needs to get things done in his fourth season. He’s turned things around with recruiting at Kentucky, but we haven’t seen the results on the field yet, with just a 12-24 record overall and just 4-20 in the SEC. So that puts added emphasis on the opener in the SEC, a Sept. 10 meeting at Florida. Sure, Florida has won 29 in a row in this rivalry, the longest streak in SEC history, but the Wildcats have to be thinking that Florida ended the season not capable of beating anybody. Getting them early might be good.

LSU: Since Nick Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa, the most epic of SEC battles have gone on between LSU and Alabama. They’ve decided SEC West titles, conference championships and even a national title. So if LSU wants to say it’s back in 2016 and a true national title contender, then the Tigers have to beat Alabama on Nov. 5 in Baton Rouge. LSU was unbeaten and No. 2 in the country when the teams met last year and the Tide crushed them. That can’t happen again for the Tigers, who have Leonard Fournette and what should be the best defense in the country. It’s now or never this year for Les Miles and the Tigers.

Mississippi State: Now that the Dak Prescott era is over, this might be a bit of a rebuilding season for the Bulldogs. So what better way to end what might be a mediocre campaign than to beat their hated rivals, the Ole Miss Rebels, in the Egg Bowl? This might be a challenge because the Rebels ought to be pretty good, but these two teams have been known to ruin good seasons by their rivals in this game. Could it happen again on Nov. 26 in Oxford? Well, in this rivalry, you never know.

Missouri: Fifteen years of Gary Pinkel on the sidelines has come to and end and now it’s time for Barry Odom to put his stamp on the program. The Tigers won back-to-back SEC East crowns in 2013 and 2014 but they were barely competitive last year. That makes their Sept. 17 SEC opener in Columbia against Georgia a huge game. The Bulldogs are thinking big and the Tigers don’t appear to be a threat in the division, but if an opener can be a trap game, this is it. Georgia plays Ole Miss and Tennessee the following two weeks, so the Tigers might be able to catch them looking ahead.

Ole Miss: The calendar is circled: Sept. 17 in Oxford against mighty Alabama. The Rebels are going for three in a row against the defending national champions, something they’ve never done. Even winning two in a row in 2015 had never been done. The Rebels have Chad Kelly back at quarterback and have the luxury of getting Alabama early in the year again with another new quarterback. But can they really win three in a row? This is the key game of the year in the SEC  and if the Rebels can find a way to win it again, their next challenge is finding a way to run the table, something they haven’t been able to do the past two years after beating the Tide.

South Carolina: Will Muschamp takes over and there are plenty of questions as to how good the Gamecocks will be. But here’s the added bonus they get: If you go by power rankings, Carolina has the easiest possible start to the SEC season with games against Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Kentucky and Texas A&M. If they can have some early success – which is by no means a given – it sets up a huge neighborhood brawl with Georgia on Oct. 8 in Columbia. Dreaming? Probably, but you can’t ask for a more favorable schedule.

Tennessee: The hype machine in cranking out Vols vitriol like crazy, so 2016 is the year to talk title for Tennessee. If that’s going to happen, then the Vols need to finally snap their lengthy losing streak against Florida. They play Sept. 24 in Knoxville and to call it a must-win game for the Vols is no exaggeration. Tennessee has lost 11 in a row, and that streak needs to end now.

Texas A&M: If you look at Texas A&M’s first three SEC contests against Auburn, Arkansas and South Carolina as close games, then look to Oct. 8 to be a big day if the Aggies can get off to a good start. That’s when SEC East favorite Tennessee rolls into town. If the Aggies are rolling behind Trevor Knight at quarterback with all those talented wide receivers, this could be an interesting day, and more so because the Vols could very well be looking ahead. They get Alabama the following week. There’s no guarantee the Aggies will start hot – some are concerned about this team – but if they do, this will be a fun matchup.

Vanderbilt: If the offensively challenged Commodores have fixed some things, they might be able to get off to a good start. They get South Carolina in the opener, then play winnable nonconference games against Middle Tennessee, Georgia Tech and Western Kentucky. That would set the stage for an interesting Oct. 1 home game with Florida. Florida has won 24 of the past 25. But the ‘Dores won in 2013 and played them tough last year in Gainesville and might have a surprise or two up their sleeve in 2016.