(CNN) Attorney General Jeff Sessions will face down more than a dozen of his former colleagues this afternoon when he testifies in front of the Senate intelligence committee about the ongoing probe into Russia's meddling in the 2016 election.

The committee is comprised of 8 Republicans and 7 Democrats as well as four ex officio members who may or may not show up. (My guess is John McCain and Jack Reed are there while Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell are not.)

One good way to watch the hearing is to know which of those 17 Senators pose the most -- and least -- risk to Sessions. I've ranked them all based on that criteria. The #1 ranked Senator poses the single biggest risk to Sessions' chances of making it through the hearing unscathed.

Here we go!

17. Jim Risch (R-Idaho)

JUST WATCHED Senator to Comey: It's not a crime to hope Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Senator to Comey: It's not a crime to hope 01:34

The Idaho Republican was one of the most skeptical senators regarding Comey's testimony last week. And he's a Sessions ally; he was the originator of the Senate rules move to silence the Massachusetts Democrat Sen. Elizabeth Warren after she tried to insert a letter from Coretta Scott King that opposed Sessions. "We have rules around here, and the rules are very clear that you don't impugn another Senator," Risch said at the time

16. John Cornyn (R-Texas)

JUST WATCHED Cornyn to Comey: Did firing stop investigation? Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Cornyn to Comey: Did firing stop investigation? 00:40

Cornyn, the 2nd-ranking Republican in leadership and a former chairman of the party's campaign committee, will do everything he can to prop up Sessions -- understanding that a poor performance by the AG will make it that much harder for the GOP to move beyond this Russia investigation before the 2018 election.

15. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.)

Blunt was, somewhat surprisingly, one of Comey's most aggressive questioners last week. In retrospect, I shouldn't have been surprised. Blunt just got reelected in 2016 and has always been a guy who toes the party line. He was in House leadership before coming to the Senate, after all.

14. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.)

Cotton has an eye on his political future -- whether that comes in 2020 or 2024. With that in mind, he's not going to make it too hard on Sessions, who continues to be regarded by the party base as an undeserving target of the so-called "liberal" media's bile. Cotton has also been a steady defender of Sessions; "Anyone who knows Jeff Sessions as I do can vouch for his integrity and honesty," he said in March . "There's no scandal in a senator meeting an ambassador, which happens all the time."

13. James Lankford (R-Okla.)

Lankford is an interesting cat. Yes, he represents one of the most conservative states in the country -- a place where defending Sessions at all costs would be applauded. But during his relatively brief time in the Senate, Lankford has shown himself to be more than a predictable partisan. That said, don't expect Lankford to go after Sessions. "We want to be able to get [Sessions'] side of it, get all the facts out there," Lankford said over the weekend . "We've had a lot of unnamed sources in the media come out and make statements about Jeff Sessions. It would be very good to get it directly from him."

12. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)

JUST WATCHED Rubio to Comey: Why no pro-Trump leak? Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Rubio to Comey: Why no pro-Trump leak? 01:22

11. John McCain (R-Ariz.)

JUST WATCHED Sen. McCain's questioning confuses Comey Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Sen. McCain's questioning confuses Comey 08:13

After McCain's showing at the Comey hearing , everything is on the table today. I would assume, given the furor over what, exactly, McCain was talking about in his questioning of Comey last week, he will be better briefed and more to the point this week. McCain revels in being unpredictable and is no Sessions ally so it's possible he might throw a curveball or two.

10. Richard Burr (R-N.C.)

As the chairman of the committee, Burr has, in the past, adopted a "just the facts" approach in which he kicks off the hearing by confirming a series of key facts and then steps out of the way. My guess is he'll do the same with Sessions today.

9. Susan Collins (R-Maine)

JUST WATCHED Susan Collins State of the Union interview Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Susan Collins State of the Union interview 09:34

Collins has built her political reputation on a willingness to break with her party. But, as brilliantly documented in t his piece by the Washington Post's Paul Kane , Collins has a long relationship with Sessions. That personal tie will likely limit her willingness to push him on some of the finer points on his meetings with Kisylak or his conversations with Comey about Trump.

8. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.)

JUST WATCHED Comey's Lynch details make Manchin 'queasy' too Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Comey's Lynch details make Manchin 'queasy' too 05:08

Foremost in Manchin's mind -- today and every day -- is that he needs to find a way to get reelected next November in a state Trump won by 42 points in 2016. That almost certainly necessitates Manchin being the easiest on Sessions of all the Democrats on the committee.

7. Mark Warner (D-Va.)

JUST WATCHED Warner on Trump: 'We have no smoking gun' Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Warner on Trump: 'We have no smoking gun' 00:34

As the vice chair of the committee, Warner has been slightly more willing than Burr to push witnesses. But, if he follows his usual blueprint, Warner will use his opening statement to lay out the many unanswered questions still swirling in the Russia investigation and then take something of a backseat while his Democratic colleagues ask the more pointed things.

6. Jack Reed (D-R.I.)

JUST WATCHED Sen. Reed: President's burden to come forth Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Sen. Reed: President's burden to come forth 01:20

Reed, like McCain, is an ex officio member of the Intelligence Committee due to his senior role on the Armed Services Committee. While Reed is among the most powerful members of the Senate minority, he's generally a low-key presence in the chamber. However , in an interview with Erin Burnett Monday night, Reed signaled he might strike a more aggressive tone with Sessions. "I think it's important to establish why he was involved in the dismissal of Director Comey since he had recused from, apparently, all matters related to the Russia investigation, and (President Donald Trump) himself has indicated that he, indeed, based his dismissal of Comey on the Russia Investigation," Reed told Burnett. "The attorney general's involvement is highly questionable, to be blunt, and I think those questions will be raised."

5. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.)

JUST WATCHED Senator to Comey: Why should we believe you? Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Senator to Comey: Why should we believe you? 00:56

This is the start of the Senators who are going to make Sessions squirm. Heinrich -- along with Warren -- wrote a letter to the Justice Department asking the organization to open an investigation into whether Sessions violated the terms of his recusal from everything having to do with the Russia investigation given that he was consulted in the firing of Comey. Heinrich, who sits in a safely Democratic state, has every reason to be as direct as possible with Sessions.

4. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)

JUST WATCHED Dem: Trump interference almost Watergate level Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Dem: Trump interference almost Watergate level 05:56

Wyden was the leading voice to make the Sessions hearing public and may be somewhat sated by getting what he wanted on that front. But Wyden is already signaling he plans to be very aggressive regarding the Sessions' recusal. "Based on everything I know, this isn't close to what people believe is a real recusal," Wyden told reporters Monday . "When you're recusing yourself, you are stepping aside and this sure doesn't look like it." Plus, Wyden has already called on Sessions to resign -- repeatedly.

3. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)

JUST WATCHED Senator calls for new Russia investigation Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Senator calls for new Russia investigation 02:04

Feinstein may be the Democrat positioned most centrally in these Russia investigations given her roles on the Intelligence committee and as the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee. She knows things from this dual role that not all of her colleagues do. Which makes her questions all the more important to pay attention to. Feinstein, of late, has been outspoken about the need for a full investigation by the Judiciary Committee into the possibility of obstruction of justice by President Trump.

2. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.)

JUST WATCHED Senate intel chairman cuts off senator Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Senate intel chairman cuts off senator 01:10

Harris, widely seen as a potential 2020 candidate for Democrats, speaks from a position of authority here -- as a former Attorney General of California. She's also been among the first and most willing critics of Sessions, repeatedly insisting his conduct is improper and that he should resign his post. "There's nothing about any of this that is normal," Harris told CNN's Jake Tapper last month , adding: "There is good reason to believe that [Sessions] was not truthful when he testified before Congress."

1. Angus King (I-Maine)

JUST WATCHED King: Trump's dismissal of hack is disturbing Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH King: Trump's dismissal of hack is disturbing 01:13