The Alabama Crimson Tide are coming off back-to-back SEC titles, consecutive trips to the College Football Playoff and a national championship. Even though head coach Nick Saban has done an excellent job reloading over the years there is no doubt Alabama has a tough road ahead of them if they want to stay on top this season. The Crimson Tide will have plenty of new faces in their lineup this year and a strong list of contenders looking to knock them off at the top of the SEC. Here is a look at the most pressing offseason question marks for the top SEC contenders.
Alabama Crimson Tide: Running Back
Derrick Henry’s exit left arguably the biggest hole in the Alabama offense with the need to establish a new workhorse running back that can carry the load on that side of the football. It won’t be easy to replace the reigning Heisman trophy winner and single-season school record holder for rushing yards and it doesn’t help that backup Kenyan Drake moved on as well. Bo Scarborough has been identified as the next in line to take over as the Crimson Tide’s star running back and he will have big shoes to fill. Scarborough has similar size to Henry at 6’2’’ and 240 pounds with excellent size, speed and power and he will need to step up and help bridge the gap to prevent the Alabama offense from sputtering early on in 2016.
Ole Miss Rebels: Left Tackle
The Rebels have groomed Greg Little to eventually replace Laremy Tunsil and now it is time to see if he is ready and capable of handling the left tackle position. The No. 3 overall prospect in the 2016 recruiting class will be asked to protect quarterback Chad Kelly’s blindside and Ole Miss’ success on offense will be directly tied to his performance. Little has all of the measurable at 6’5’’ and 305 pounds with excellent power, leverage and mobility but he is lacking in experience and it will be very interesting to see whether he can step in and effectively replace Tunsil on the left side.
LSU Tigers: Quarterback
LSU will once again lean heavily on its star running back Leonard Fournette this season but if they are going to take that next step as a legitimate contender in the SEC then they will need better play from the quarterback position. Brandon Harris was far too inconsistent last season including a three-game losing streak in which he completed just 52-of-105 passes for 723 yards with three touchdowns and four interceptions. Head coach Les miles has reaffirmed his faith that Harris can be the Tigers’ starting quarterback and the reality at this point is that the quarterback’s success will have a direct correlation to Miles’ future with the program beyond this season. If they don’t solve this problem, Les Miles will probably be out of a job as the team’s head coach next season.
Tennessee Volunteers: Overall Consistency
The Vols are a popular sleeper pick to challenge for SEC supremacy this season with a loaded cast of talent on both sides of the football including star quarterback Joshua Dobbs. Tennessee has the potential to break through this year but they will need to put together a complete season and move past the inconsistency that has plagued them over the past couple of years. An improved roster will help them in that area and a better start could be key. The Vols went 5-9 in games played in September and October over the last two years compared to a 9-1 mark in games played in November, December and January. However, this team – the current roster – doesn’t have a lot of big game experience and they’ll have to learn on the job if they’re to truly make a stand in the SEC. They did beat No. 13 Northwestern in a New Year’s Day bowl last year but they still lost at No. 8 Alabama and Florida, and at home to Arkansas and Oklahoma. They can’t just beat the weaklings; they’ll have to beat the big boys. If they’re truly ready to take that next step, consistency will be the key this season.
