It’s unfathomable to most fan bases, but if Alabama fails to win a national championship this season, it will mark the longest title drought of Nick Saban’s tenure in Tuscaloosa (since 2007).

While the team entered the 2012 season as the clear SEC favorite, and delivered with Saban’s third national title, Bama no longer is the clear-cut dominant team in the SEC West.

RELATED: Best-case scenario: Tide turns in CFP as Bama gets revenge on Buckeyes

The good news is that Alabama still has more talent than any team in the SEC. Will the team wilt, fading from a sure-thing top 5 program to somewhere in the lower half of the Associated Press Top 25? Or will Saban and the players find the questions invigorating and “surprise” everyone with a vintage performance?

WHAT THE MAGAZINES ARE SAYING

ESPN: “Most programs would kill for one national title a decade, much less three. But … with a new QB, a void at WR and a once-machine-like D in need of fixing, a return to glory is a long climb.”

Lindy’s Sports: “Alabama should again be in the running [for a national title], but with a tough schedule and an unproven offense, the first step — winning the very competitive SEC West — is mighty challenging.”

Athlon Sports: “The single-season passing record holder (Blake Sims), the top three receivers (Amari Cooper, DeAndrew White and Christion Jones) and the school’s No. 4 all-time leading rusher (T.J. Yeldon) are gone. Oh, and three of the five starting linemen depart as well. So Lane Kiffin has a steep challenge in his second season as the Tide’s offensive coordinator.”

The Sporting News: “Can you lose a 1,700-yard receiver, a 1,000-yard rusher and the SEC’s most effective passer and hope to be as productive offensively? There’s no question the Tide will be terrific in the trenches, but Bama is no automatic choice to win the SEC and earn a CFP spot this time.”

Phil Steele: “The offense will be solid despite just [three returning starters] and the D might be the best in the country, plus they have my [No. 2 special teams] in the SEC and [head coach] Nick Saban on the sidelines. They are my pick to win the SEC West and as such are a [prime] contender to make it back to their [second] straight College Football [Playoff].”

BEST PLAYERS

  • RB Derrick Henry
  • LT Cam Robinson
  • C Ryan Kelly
  • DT A’Shawn Robinson
  • DE Jonathan Allen
  • LB Reggie Ragland

WHAT WE LEARNED

  • Alabama’s biggest challenge during fall practice may be sorting out its receivers and defensive backs. ArDarius Stewart, Robert Foster and Chris Black were the top three receivers in spring practice, and now they’re joined by five-star Calvin Ridley and Oregon State transfer Richard Mullaney.
  • New secondary coach Mel Tucker must decide who to lock into every position other than Cyrus Jones at one of the cornerback spots. Geno Smith, Eddie Jackson, Tony Brown, Marlon Humphrey, Hootie Jones, Maurice Smith and Ronnie Harrison are just a few of the names competing for playing time.
  • According to Athlon Sports, placekicker Adam Griffith made just 5-of-12 field goal attempts after injuring his back last season, finishing 12-of-19. Can Griffith get more accurate now that he’s healthy?
  • Also according to Athlon Sports, Alabama was the best team in the country inside the 40-yard line last year, scoring 4.96 points per possession and allowing 3.49 for a differential of 1.47 points per trip.
  • Alabama isn’t thought about as a defense that generates a lot of sacks, but the Tide pressured opposing quarterbacks on 13 percent of snaps last season, second-best in the SEC.

BIGGEST AGREEMENT

The offensive production the team lost following the ’14 season is significant. But so too is the continued presence of Lane Kiffin on this coaching staff.

Most people forget that entering last summer, Sims was an afterthought at quarterback — a fifth-year senior who had even practiced with the running backs early in his Tide career. The expectation was he’d sit behind transfer Jake Coker. Instead he broke some school records.

Alabama finally has adapted to the times on offense, and with great initial success. Kiffin’s presence will mitigate at least a portion of the challenges and concerns on offense, as most of the national media alluded.

BIGGEST DISAGREEMENT

Concerns about the secondary were valid for 2014, as the team allowed 19 passing plays of 30-plus yards, ranking near the bottom of the SEC. But even without Landon Collins, I think the consternation about this group in ’15 is overblown.

First, some of the passing numbers were skewed last season. The Tide had a strong run defense, as usual, and led a lot of games in the second half. So while Alabama finished 11th in the SEC in passing yards allowed per game (226.0), the team was sixth in passing yards per attempt allowed (6.4), not far behind the vaunted Florida and Ole Miss secondaries.

Hiring a full-time defensive backs coach will help. The team also can boast of a quartet of five-star underclassmen at cornerback. One of the country’s best front sevens will alleviate pressure. But, in a weird way, Collins’ departure may be the best thing for this pass defense.

Collins slid into the second round of this year’s NFL draft in part because of concerns about his ability in coverage. If Alabama starts Jackson and Smith at safety with Brown and Jones at corner, the Tide finally will field four coverage-first defensive backs.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Biggest Remaining Question: Who will start at quarterback?
Consensus Projection: 1st place, SEC West
Impact Newcomers: RB Damien Harris, WR Calvin Ridley