SDS is taking a look at each SEC championship contender and its chances of winning in Atlanta. We’ll list three reasons why each team will win and three reasons why each team will not.

ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE

This could be the year that Alabama once again ends its season a national-championship note.

The Crimson Tide’s front seven is the best in the country, and their offense is in good hands with second-year coordinator Lane Kiffin.

Despite losing its last two bowl games, Alabama is only three seasons removed from winning the BCS National Championship Game over Notre Dame. Plus, even though Nick Saban’s squad blew a 21-6 lead to eventual national champion Ohio State in last season’s College Football Playoff, there is much anticipation in Tuscaloosa and around the SEC for the Tigers.

No doubt fending off Auburn will be tough, but Alabama did just that in a highly entertaining, 55-44 victory in last year’s Iron Bowl. As always, Auburn is not only expected to beat the Tigers but also contend for SEC and and national championships as well.

THREE REASONS WHY

1. Defense: All summer, you’ve probably heard about how dominant Alabama’s ‘D’ might be this season, especially when it returns such top-notch talent as linebacker Reggie Ragland, and defensive linemen A’Shawn Robinson, Jonathan Allen and Jarran Reed. But keep your eye on special teams standouts Rashaan Evans and Reuben Foster, who are trying secure more snaps as pass rushers/linebackers.

Cornerback Cyrus Jones is also back, and he’ll be looking to build on a season in which he led the Tide with 16 pass deflections and 13 pass breakups. He also had three interceptions and forced three fumbles in 2014. In addition, Alabama has added assistant coaches Mel Tucker and Tosh Lupoi, who should help coordinator Kirby Smart improve a group that allowed Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott to rush for 232 yards in the Tide’s season finale last year.

2. Offense: There is much to like here, starting with Derrick Henry, who rushed for a team-high 990 yards and 11 TDs in 2014. The 6-foot-3, 242-pounder also gives the Tide a viable pass-catching threat out of the backfield. Other returning weapons include tight end O.J. Howard, running back/receiver Kenyon Drake and a promising group of wideouts, led by ArDarius Stewart and Robert Foster. Stewart (eight catches for 118 yards and two TDs) and Foster (six receptions, 125 yards) were co-MVPs of Alabama’s spring game and should make up for the loss of the Tide’s top three receivers from a year ago, which included all-everything pass-catcher Amari Cooper.

3. Coaching staff: Despite unhappy endings to Alabama’s last two seasons, Saban — with all due respect to Ohio State’s Urban Meyer — is arguably still the best head coach in the game. Saban, who enters his ninth year at Alabama’s helm with an 86-17 record, has led the Crimson Tide to three SEC Championships and three national titles in the last six seasons. He’s also the best recruiter in America, having secured the country’s top class for five straight years.

Bama also boasts two of the top coordinators in the country. Kiffin helped Blake Sims deliver a school-record-setting season at quarterback in 2014. And behind Smart, Alabama’s defense resumed its place among the nation’s elite as the Tide finished 12th in the country in total defense last season.

THREE REASONS WHY NOT

1. Quarterback questions: Why can’t Jacob Coker win a starting job? He came to Alabama after not being able to beat out Jameis Winston for first-string snaps at Florida State. Last year, he couldn’t win a competition against Blake Sims. And this year, he might not win what started out as a five-person battle that also includes Cooper Bateman and Alec Morris.

Coker, who has also had to contend with redshirt freshman David Cornwell and freshman Blake Barnett for reps in fall camp, is the only one of the Crimson Tide’s quarterback quintet to have thrown a pass in college. Despite suffering a minor foot injury earlier this month, the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Coker has the tools to be Alabama’s starting quarterback for its Sept. 5 season-opener against Wisconsin.

Last season, it took some time for Blake Sims to become the Tide’s No. 1 signal-caller, but once he secured the job, he and Alabama went on a roll to the SEC Championship and the inaugural College Football Playoff. Bama could repeat that performance again this year, but in order for that to happen, someone — possibly Coker, who threw for 403 yards and four TDs last season — has to emerge soon in order to give the offense a chance to establish its identity and give opposing defenses something to think about.

2. Suffocating schedule: To begin with, the opener against the Badgers won’t be easy. And an intriguing home matchup against Ole Miss (Sept. 19) is sandwiched between early season tune-ups against Middle Tennessee and Louisiana-Monroe on Sept. 26. But after that matchup against the Warhawks, Alabama’s last “cupcake” game of the season is against Charleston Southern on Nov. 21.

There will be no October surprises for the Crimson Tide this season, just potential nightmares with games at Georgia, against Arkansas and at Texas A&M. And before getting a Halloween week bye, Alabama plays host to an up-and-coming Tennessee team on Oct. 24 before entertaining LSU on Nov. 7. Bama has to take on Dak Prescott and Mississippi State in Starkville the following week before having to go to Auburn for the always tough Iron Bowl in its regular-season finale.

You can say what you want about the Crimson Tide’s non-conference schedule. But as usual, Alabama’s SEC slate this year is as tough as it gets.

3. The Wild, Wild West: Not too long ago, the balance of power in the division would typically shift between Baton Rouge and Tuscaloosa. Last year, both Magnolia State teams got off to stunningly good starts before Alabama eventually captured the toughest division in college football and then mauled Missouri in the SEC Championship Game.

The hirings of fellow defensive coordinators Will Muschamp (Auburn) and John Chavis (Texas A&M) could alter the divisional landscape this season. Even though Auburn finished 8-5 last year, its defense was clearly its weakness, which the Tigers addressed. And like Auburn, the Aggies have a potentially explosive offense, but under Chavis — whose groups at Tennessee and LSU frequently ranked among the country’s best — A&M might finally have a defense to complement its up-tempo attack.

Ole Miss has enough talent returning to potentially earn more than the nine wins it had last season. Plus, even though Arkansas has lost running back Jonathan Williams for the season due to a foot injury, the Razorbacks still return veteran quarterback Brandon Allen, tailback Alex Collins and a solid offensive line, which could help the Hogs improve upon their 7-6 mark of a year ago. When you factor in the always-competitive LSU Tigers, the SEC West might actually be up for grabs, with every team in the division having a chance to pounce.