How good will every SEC quarterback be this fall, and what’s the clear-cut pecking order?

That won’t crystalize until deep into the season. But we have a good working idea about who may be good and who will not. Lumping in non-conference opponents, here’s a look at the best three quarterbacks every SEC defense must face in 2015.

ALABAMA

  • Dak Prescott, Mississippi State
  • Jeremy Johnson, Auburn
  • Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee

It was tempting to put Texas A&M’s Kyle Allen on this list, as he got minimal time in last year’s embarrassing 59-0 Tide victory. But Alabama shouldn’t face any tough non-conference quarterbacks as its strongest two opponents are Wisconsin (Joel Stave) and Middle Tennessee State (returning dual-threat starter Austin Grammer or the better passer Brent Stockstill).

ARKANSAS

  • Dak Prescott, Mississippi State
  • Jeremy Johnson, Auburn
  • Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee

As usual, Texas Tech will throw the ball ad nauseam, so whomever wins the starting job — Patrick Mahomes II or Davis Webb — will present a good early-season challenge. Toledo should be decent non-conference as well with former Alabama quarterback Phillip Ely and some great skill players, albeit behind a potentially-weak offensive line.

AUBURN

  • Dak Prescott, Mississippi State
  • Kyle Allen, Texas A&M
  • Patrick Towles, Kentucky

Louisville, the season-opening opponent, has as many as five players who will compete for the starting quarterback job during fall camp, so Auburn has an advantage with the uncertainty there. The Tigers, in fact, don’t face many established or scary quarterbacks in 2015, a hidden reason why its defense may improve. Other opponents like Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, Georgia and even San Jose State must sort out major uncertainty at quarterback.

FLORIDA

  • Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee
  • Everett Golson/Sean Maguire, Florida State
  • Patrick Towles, Kentucky

The Gators have it relatively easy defending opposing quarterbacks, especially since East Carolina lost Shane Carden in addition to its offensive coordinator and record-setting receiver. The team also avoids Dak Prescott, Jeremy Johnson and Kyle Allen in the West Division. Tyler Rogers (New Mexico State) threw 23 interceptions last year, so the secondary could get off to a rousing start in the opener.

GEORGIA

  • Jeremy Johnson, Auburn
  • Justin Thomas, Georgia Tech
  • Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee

The Bulldogs better spend plenty of time in fall camp defending running quarterbacks. Thomas and Georgia Southern’s Kevin Ellison each nearly ran for 1,100 yards in 2014. Dobbs and to a lesser extent Johnson should be effective runners. Even Maty Mauk can run some, and South Carolina may inject Lorenzo Nunez or Pharoh Cooper to run at times.

KENTUCKY

  • Dak Prescott, Mississippi State
  • Jeremy Johnson, Auburn
  • Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee

There’s no nice way to put it — the Wildcats defense played terrible during the second half of last season. The schedule did UK no favors, as the team must face the preseason favorites to win All-SEC quarterback honors in both its SEC West crossover games. Louisville and Louisiana-Lafayette each have big preseason questions at the position, so the non-conference slate won’t be brutal at the position.

LSU

  • Dak Prescott, Mississippi State
  • Jeremy Johnson, Auburn
  • Kyle Allen, Texas A&M

The Tigers avoid Joshua Dobbs and Patrick Towles in the SEC East this year. Kendall Beckwith and the team’s front seven will need to run sideline-to-sideline against a few non-conference quarterbacks, as Syracuse starts a fifth-year senior in Terrel Hunt that can run the ball (5.6 ypc last season). Eastern Michigan’s Reginald Bell is a dynamite athlete and a former state champion sprinter.

MISSISSIPPI STATE

  • Jeremy Johnson, Auburn
  • Kyle Allen, Texas A&M
  • Patrick Towles, Kentucky

The Bulldogs secondary, with its propensity to allow big plays, faces some decent quarterbacks this season, but not many monsters. The non-conference slate is tame, with former Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel, now with Louisiana Tech, perhaps representing the best of the bunch.

MISSOURI

  • Dak Prescott, Mississippi State
  • Taysom Hill, BYU
  • Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee

People forget, but Hill was getting dark horse Heisman Trophy talk before a season-ending leg injury. He’s got a lengthy injury history, though, so it remains to be seen whether he’ll be healthy for the mid-November showdown. Mizzou also must go on the road to contend with Arkansas State senior Fredi Knighten, who accounted for more than 4,000 yards of offense last year.

OLE MISS

  • Dak Prescott, Mississippi State
  • Jeremy Johnson, Auburn
  • Kyle Allen, Texas A&M

It was tempting to slide 6-foot-7 Memphis starter Paxton Lynch into that third spot. The Tigers quarterback became just the third player in program history to surpass 3,000 passing yards in a single season. The Rebels do avoid Joshua Dobbs and Patrick Towles in the SEC East and face a cake non-conference schedule outside of a decent Memphis team.

SOUTH CAROLINA

  • Deshaun Watson, Clemson
  • Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee
  • Marquise Williams, North Carolina

The Gamecocks are one of only two SEC teams with two non-conference players in their trio of toughest quarterback opponents, a testament to the team’s strong schedule. Williams, perhaps the best running quarterback South Carolina will face all season (along with Dobbs), immediately can provide a test for the reworked Gamecocks defense.

TENNESSEE

  • Patrick Towles, Kentucky
  • Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
  • Matt Johnson, Bowling Green

Mayfield, a walk-on at Texas Tech who eventually transferred to OU, should start for the Sooners this year. Athlon Sports ranked him as the fifth-best Big 12 quarterback, behind some good ones. Johnson threw for nearly 3,500 yards in 2013 before a season-ending injury in last year’s opener, but he’s completed almost 63 percent of his career passes. Tennessee may have the SEC East’s best quarterback in Joshua Dobbs. Its two West Division opponents, Alabama and Arkansas, remain unsettled or not intimidating at the position.

TEXAS A&M

  • Dak Prescott, Mississippi State
  • Jeremy Johnson, Auburn
  • Mike Bercovici, Arizona State

Prescott and Johnson earned preseason first- and second-team All-SEC honors, respectively, according to the media. Bercovici isn’t as mobile as former Arizona State quarterback Taylor Kelly, but he threw for 488 yards against UCLA and 510 against USC last year as a spot starter. Overall, there’s a strong case to be made that new defensive coordinator John Chavis and the Aggies face the most difficult collection of high-end quarterback talent of any SEC team.

VANDERBILT

  • Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee
  • Kyle Allen, Texas A&M
  • Brandon Doughty, Western Kentucky

The Commodores defense faces a relatively tame quarterback slate in 2015. I debated whether to include Doughty or Patrick Towles, but the Hilltoppers will present a tough game for Vanderbilt. Western Kentucky’s quarterback threw for an NCAA-best 4,830 yards last season.