Alabama is already No. 1 in several preseason polls, and the Crimson Tide are widely favored to win the national championship. How will that pan out, and are there scenarios that would act as a roadblock to those confetti showers?

Led by Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr., Alabama has plenty of experienced talent returning. However, the Crimson Tide also have newcomers, or new starters, at both offensive tackle positions, wide receiver and running back. All of those players are either highly touted recruits or experienced transfers from Power 5 programs.

Here are the 5 dream scenarios:

1. Wide receivers blossom

The Crimson Tide got off to a slow start with wide receiver production with the news that JoJo Earle is expected to miss the first month of the season with a broken foot. Earle was expected to cushion the blow from the departures of Jameson Williams, John Metchie III and Slade Bolden. In transfer wide receivers Tyler Harrell and Jermaine Burton, Alabama has created a 400 relay team on the outside.

Look for Harrell to have a similar impact at Alabama as Williams, who had more than 400 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns. It may take some time to develop chemistry with Young, but when it matters most — in December and January — the wide receivers will be a focal point once again.

2. Jahmyr Gibbs rushes for 1,000 yards

The Georgia Tech transfer continues to impress, as he has already received high marks from players and coaches this fall camp. Gibbs will be the fourth straight 1,000-yard rusher for Alabama, and pour in 20 touchdowns to draw comparisons from 2 years ago to Najee Harris. Because the transfer wide receivers will need time to get acclimated, Bill O’Brien will choose to lean on the running game early. Gibbs impressed Nick Saban with his speed and vision, and he has already drawn praise from teammates coming out of the backfield as he has already digested the offense. That 73-yard touchdown in the spring game should be enough to see his potential and get excited.

3. Will Anderson Jr. wins the Heisman Trophy

All the pundits and talking heads who have wanted a defensive player to win the Heisman finally get their wish. The dominant pass rusher who struggles to smile during team pictures in the heat rides the wave of a dominant defensive unit to the trophy ceremony in New York. Anderson has already said that he’s motivated to win the award and change the perception that it’s an offense-centric honor. If there’s anyone who can do it, it’s Anderson, who is widely viewed as the best defensive player in college football. He had 17.5 sacks last season, and he could land on 20 this year.

4. Eli Ricks

Finding a player to be a lockdown corner opposite Kool-Aid McKinstry was another offseason priority and Ricks is recovering nicely from the offseason knee injury. Ricks is a capable defensive back and will need time to settle into his role once he understands the defense and is fully healthy. Outside of a possible test against Texas, he should have a month to get his feet wet in the program.

5. Christian Leary breaks out at slot WR

Leary had a huge A-Day with Leary had 5 catches for a game-high 105 yards, and when Alabama is at its best, it has a third option in the passing game, be it a tight end or slot receiver. This is the kind of X-factor that separates Alabama from other championship contenders, and with Bryce Young at the controls, this is a likely outcome.

Here are the 5 disaster scenarios:

1. Another national title loss

This is a troubling possibility, but with Ohio State in a strong position, this could be a replay of last year’s national championship, where Alabama is in the mix to add to the trophy case but the Buckeyes simply pull it out in the end. With the Crimson Tide unusually focused on the national championship, they could be too tight entering the postseason and in the increasingly rare position of being a top 4-ranked team with a chip on its shoulder.

2. Offensive line doesn’t improve

Saban has hinted that changes needed to be made on the offensive line, and by praising new position coach Eric Wolford, Saban has taken an indirect shot at former OL coach Doug Marrone. It was one of the areas of concern last year as Young faced increasing pressure, especially late in the season against elite teams. The offensive line continuing to be pedestrian in big games is an area of concern. Alabama brought in Vanderbilt transfer Tyler Steen to solidify a unit that returned 3 players with starting experience, including guard Emil Ekiyor Jr. Steen and fellow tackle JC Latham. They need to be ready for primetime.

3. Wide receiver production wanes

For most other programs, replacing the top 4 receivers is a huge issue, but when Alabama brought in Harrell and Burton, it clearly suggested a need for an upgrade. There should be some growing pains, and the disaster scenario is that the unknown is not a comforting thought for Tide faithful. Burton is more of a known commodity because of his SEC experience, while Harrell has already been in and out of fall camp action. The troubling sign is that Harrell could flash for a big play here and there, but can he deliver a big catch on 3rd down?

Cameron Latu missing time this fall camp also doesn’t help matters in the passing game.

4. Punting

Alabama isn’t usually in last place in the SEC in any category, but it was in punting last season when Australian James Burnip averaged 39.1 yards per punt. It obviously wasn’t a major issue, but punting is one of those things you don’t notice until there’s a major breakdown. A few yards here or there likely won’t decide a Playoff game or national championship. Burnip simply can’t be a main storyline for all the wrong reasons.

5. Running back depth

Gibbs is expected to be a key contributor, but finding depth, which has been somewhat of a theme in the Alabama backfield in recent years, is another question mark. After all, both Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams are coming off knee injuries. Getting them back to full speed, and capable of carrying the load should something happen to Gibbs, is of paramount priority for the offensive staff. This goes hand in hand with the questions on the offensive line about experience and production. Getting consistent contributions if there’s a Plan B needed is what makes a team championship quality.