The SEC has lined up a few contenders for Lucky No. 7.

Defending national champion Alabama and last season’s 13-game juggernaut LSU remain the headliners of a league that has won the past six BCS titles. And that’s despite the Crimson Tide and the Tigers losing a combined six first-round NFL draft picks.

Other SEC -- and national -- powers are trying to catch up.

Arkansas, which ended last season ranked fifth, and Georgia return star quarterbacks. Steve Spurrier fields another formidable-looking South Carolina team. Plus, the Razorbacks and Gamecocks get star running backs back from injuries.

Even those suffering from SEC fatigue might not want to miss that prime-time Nov. 3 three-match in Baton Rouge. The Tide and the Tigers split last season with `Bama grabbing Round 2, 21-0 in the BCS title game in New Orleans.

The rivalry carried over onto Twitter with sniping between Tide quarterback AJ McCarron and LSU Heisman finalist Tyrann Mathieu -- in June.

“I can tell you that no game is won in a Twitter page,” LSU head coach Les Miles noted.

What’s new this year is Big 12 Conference defectors Texas A&M and Missouri step into the SEC. They’ll both try to show they belong.

“Only way you’re going to get respect is winning games, OK?” Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel said. “That’s the only way it’s going to happen. I got no problem with that. You’ve got to prove yourself.”