UT Vols will have to play best of SEC West next season

The SEC West might not be as strong overall next season as it's been, but you won’t be able to tell it by Tennessee’s schedule. The Vols will have to play both Alabama and Auburn, which figure to be the two best teams in the West, just as they were this past season.

Here’s an early, early look at how the West should stack up in 2018.

Alabama: The Tide again will lose key players, including juniors, to the NFL. And they again will replace them with more future NFL players. Rebuilding Alabama’s secondary will be coach Nick Saban’s biggest challenge. An offensive line that returns four starters, including All-SEC tackle Jonah Williams, should be the team’s strength.

East opponents: Missouri, at Tennessee.

Auburn: Auburn will lose four juniors to the NFL. But like Alabama, it’s recruiting well enough to keep winning at a high level. The Tigers are loaded at wide receiver. And with quarterback Jarrett Stidham returning, their passing game should make up for a drop-off in the running game.

East opponents: Tennessee, at Georgia.

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs will return 18 starters from a nine-win team that almost upset Alabama this past season. Quarterback Nick Fitzgerald and running back Aeris Williams both could rush for more than 1,000 yards. If the Bulldogs can improve their passing game under new coach Joe Moorhead, they could challenge Alabama and Auburn for the division title.

East opponents: at Kentucky, Florida.

LSU: The Tigers will have a question mark at quarterback with the departure of Danny Etling. But they also had a question mark at quarterback when Etling was starting. LSU has three of the league's best players in linebacker Devin White, defensive back Greedy Williams and defensive end Rashard Lawrence. However, its overall talent isn’t what it once was, meaning it could struggle to match its nine wins in 2017.

East opponents: at Florida, Georgia.

Texas A&M: The Aggies have high hopes after luring away coach Jimbo Fisher from Florida State. But a new coach – even one with Fisher’s resume – can’t transform them into a title contender right away. There’s less work to be done on offense, where the Aggies will return nine starters, including quarterback Nick Starkel and their entire offensive line.

East opponents: Kentucky, at South Carolina.

Ole Miss: Every team in the SEC would love to have the Rebels' receiving corps. Dual-threat quarterback Jordan Ta’amu came on strong in the second half of last season. And the offensive line will return four starters. Defense will be a different matter. The Rebels will have to replace six starters from a unit that gave up 110 points combined to Auburn and Alabama.

East opponents: South Carolina, at Vanderbilt.

Arkansas: New Arkansas coach Chad Morris will have to find a replacement for starting quarterback Austin Allen, but the rest of the offense will return intact. The defense almost can’t help but be better after giving up 37 or more points in seven games.

East opponents: Vanderbilt, at Missouri.

Reach John Adams at john.adams@knoxnews.com or 865-342-6284 and on Twitter @johnadamskns.