Cordarrelle Patterson, could be in the SEC East race if they beat Florida this weekend. (US Presswire)

1. Can Florida or Tennessee emerge as an SEC East contender?

A win on Saturday won't guarantee either team will be in the SEC East hunt come November, but a loss would hurt really both teams' chances at contending. The Vols have been impressive through two games -- wins over North Carolina State and Georgia State. The Gators looked very shaky through the first six quarters of the season, but they turned it on in the second half to pull out a 20-17 win at Texas A&M. Both teams are coming off poor 2011 campaigns. One will take another big step in the right direction on Saturday. 

2. How does Arkansas respond after losing to Louisiana-Monroe?

A game against Alabama isn't an ideal opportunity to bounce back from a stunning loss like the Razorbacks had last week. Even with the possibility of not having QB Tyler Wilson (head injury), the Razorbacks can't lay down in this one or they could get beat by a wide margin. There's still a lot of talent there such as WR Cobi Hamilton, TE Chris Gragg and RB Knile Davis. A win against the Crimson Tide might be too much to ask for at this point, but Arkansas can regain some pride by staying competitive in this one.

3. Can the SEC survive .... the Sun Belt?

It's an odd-sounding question, but there are actually three potentially interesting games between the two conferences this weekend (we'll assume a blowout win for Georgia over Florida Atlantic). Western Kentucky at Kentucky could be the closest. The Hilltoppers hung with the Wildcats before eventually falling 14-3 in 2011. MississippiState travels to Troy Saturday evening. Though Troy hasn't been its usual self the past two years, the Trojans are rarely beaten at home. Auburn must host the same Louisiana-Monroe team that knocked off Arkansas last week. The SEC should go 3-0 in those three, but don't be shocked if the Sun Belt pulls off an upset or two.

4. How do key injuries affect Arkansas, South Carolina, Tennessee and Florida?

It's only the third week, but several SEC stars are battling injuries. The most notable injuries belong to QBs Connor Shaw (shoulder) of South Carolina and Tyler Wilson (head) of Arkansas. Both are questionable this week. The Gamecocks should have no problem with UAB even without Shaw, but Arkansas needs a healthy Wilson against Alabama. The Gamecocks will need Shaw healthy soon with games against Missouri, Georgia, LSU, Florida and Tennessee in the next six weeks. Tennessee LBs Herman Lathers (shoulder) and Curt Maggitt (toe) are both questionable against Florida. The Gators will be without LB Jelani Jenkins (thumb) and CB Cody Riggs (foot).

5. How well do Missouri, Texas A&M and Ole Miss carry the SEC flag in out-of-conference games?

The SEC debuts came and went for both Texas A&M and Missouri last week with the Tigers falling 41-20 to Georgia and the Aggies losing 20-17 to Florida. Neither team has had a chance to represent the SEC in an out-of-conference game of significance until this week. The Aggies travel to SMU, while Missouri hosts Arizona State. They're not the biggest out-of-conference game an SEC team will play this year, but they both could be competitive. Both teams need a win to rebound from last week. Ole Miss hosts Texas, and likely will experience the first loss of the Hugh Freeze era. It'll still be interesting to see how competitive the Rebels can make it. It should give a good indication of how far they have to go to be competitive in the conference again.

For more up-to-the minute news and analysis from SEC bloggers Larry Hartstein and Daniel Lewis, follow @CBSSportsSEC.