NASHVILLE — Football season kicks off – well, kind of – this week in Nashville as the SEC gathers at the Grand Hyatt hotel for the conference’s annual football media days. Each team is bringing its head coach and three selected players.

For the local Alabama teams, Auburn is bringing Hugh Freeze for his SEC return along with offensive lineman Kameron Stutts, tight end Luke Deal and linebacker Elijah McAllister. The Crimson Tide will see Nick Saban alongside offensive lineman JC Latham, defensive back Kool-Aid McKinstry and linebacker Dallas Turner.

This article, though, will focus on the SEC East teams. There’s a lot to ask about: future schedule changes with Texas and Oklahoma coming to the conference next season, NCAA violations and lots of new quarterbacks.

Here are some talking points we think each East Division team could have this week.

Missouri

Missouri’s defense was quite strong last year. The Tigers finished sixth in the East last season and lost the Gasparilla Bowl to Wake Forest. The problem was the offense. Missouri hasn’t had good quarterback play throughout Eli Drinkwitz’s tenure. It will be likely Brady Cook as the starting QB again, who has to find a way to get something going. Someone on offense does at least. That will be the key question for the Tigers in Nashville. If the defense maintains its play from last season and the offense improves, Missouri won’t finish sixth again.

Vanderbilt

Can the Vanderbilt Commodores go to a bowl game this season? Media days just minutes from campus and Vanderbilt comes into a new SEC season with something it hasn’t had in a very long time, momentum(?). Well, somewhat at least. Vanderbilt finished with a much improved 5-7 record last season. The Commodores beat Florida and Kentucky. And as a whole, Vanderbilt brings back a large percentage of last year’s roster. The question here for head coach Clark Lea seems obvious: How do you keep it going?

Georgia

The back-to-back national champions will be facing a question they haven’t received in quite a long time: who is playing quarterback? After Stetson Bennett piloted the Bulldogs to two rings, it seems that the keys have been passed to Carson Beck. Beck won’t be in Nashville, but who has the keys may be the subject of Kirby Smart’s press conference for a much more serious reason. At least 11 Georgia players have been cited in moving violations since the Jan. 15 crash that killed a Georgia player and staffer and involved former defensive tackle Jalen Carter. Smart was asked about this last week. He’ll have to address it again in Nashville. He too, will get asked about a team with nine players on the AL.com/Birmingham News All-SEC teams.

Florida

Another SEC East team, another new quarterback. Anthony Richardson was selected fourth overall by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2023 NFL Draft. Graham Mertz — a transfer from Wisconsin — will likely be the new starter. But Florida is in a bit of an interesting spot. Year one with Billy Napier was a bit of a rollercoaster with big wins like that over Utah, but also some notable losses like that to Vanderbilt. Florida also got crushed in the Las Vegas Bowl to end last season. Napier will be asked about bouncing back, or at least finding consistency. He’s only one year into his tenure, but the temperature of his seat could be warming if 2023 isn’t any better. Some key pieces do remain from last year’s roster, but the honeymoon period is probably over. His press conference may reflect that.

Kentucky

Yes, an SEC East team with a new quarterback. Will Levis will be playing in the NFL just a few steps down Broadway from the Grant Hyatt at Nissan Stadium with the Tennessee Titans. But head coach Mark Stoops has another experienced transfer signal caller as Devin Leary comes over from N.C. State. Kentucky could be a factor in the SEC East again because of him. Leary won’t be in Nashville to take questions, but his coach and teammates will be asked about his adjustment to the SEC. Kentucky does still have a strong receiving corps, which Stoops may fall back on.

South Carolina

Shane Beamer and Spencer Rattler produced two of the most exciting wins of the 2022 season, effectively keeping both Tennessee and Clemson out of the College Football Playoffs. Both Beamer and Rattler will be in Nashville. And because of those two wins at the end of the season, expectations are raised this year in Columbia. On paper, South Carolina looks like the third place team in this division. Beamer will likely be asked about the cliché taking of the next step. Though this is another coach who may have a lot to say on getting rid of SEC divisions next season when Texas and Oklahoma are added to the conference. South Carolina could have a lot to gain.

Tennessee

Well, what a time to face the media for the Tennessee Volunteers. Just days before the conference gathers in the Vols home state, the NCAA dropped a slew of punishments on the football program for violations during Jeremy Pruitt’s tenure as head coach. A press release from the NCAA described “hundreds of violations.” Suddenly, a team that was likely to be asked about continuing momentum off its best season in more than a decade, or working in a new quarterback – who won the Orange Bowl – as a full time starter, is going to be hearing a lot more about sanctions. Josh Huepel will likely try to keep the focus on football that’s occurred during his own time in Knoxville, but he will have to speak on behalf of the program for actions that took place beforehand. This could be a contentious presser. At a minimum it will be entertaining.