No. 2 Alabama looks all but set to play for the national title in the second-ever College Football Playoff, but a few things need correction before the Tide can have success.

By no means is the Crimson Tide guaranteed a spot in the playoffs. With a matchup against Florida in the SEC Championship on Saturday, anything could happen.

And even if Alabama does put away the Gators for the SEC title, it will still have some obstacles ahead before it can claim a national title.

Here are a few of the recurring flaws that could keep Alabama from winning a national title this year.

1. Turnovers

Tide QB Jake Coker is still shaky at times. When the pressure is on, he’s hit or miss. He might make an impressive physical run, he might freeze up and get sacked, or he might throw directly into the defenders’ hands.

Alabama is ranked No. 27 in the nation in turnover margin, and Florida is ranked No. 12. If the Tide can make it past the Gators, it will most likely face Clemson, Oklahoma, Michigan State, Iowa or Ohio State. The Spartans and Hawkeyes are tied at fourth best in turnover margin and Oklahoma is tied with Florida at No. 12.

Ball control has been a fickle friend for the Tide, and the team has been known to make some petty yet costly mistakes when the stakes are high. Turnovers cost Alabama the game against Ole Miss in September, and if Coker isn’t careful, it could cost Alabama a playoff game in January.

2. Red zone offense

Unfortunately for the Tide, its red zone offense is in the bottom half in the nation.

In 50 trips to red zone, Alabama has scored touchdowns in just over half of those. Against Auburn, Alabama made two trips to the red zone and could only muster field goals.

That is unacceptable for the No. 2 team in the nation, and it won’t do the Tide any favors in the playoffs. Luckily for Alabama, only three of the other top 6 teams have a red zone defense in the top 50, and none of them are ranked higher than No. 31. But with RB Kenyan Drake injured, Coker will have to work on his passing game inside the 20.

3. Running back depth

Speaking of Drake, his injury has left Alabama in a tough spot. Yes, Damien Harris and Bo Scarbrough are waiting in the wings to back up Tide RB Derrick Henry, but they ‘re just not as good as Drake.

Last week on the Plains, Henry was a record-setting workhorse with 46 carries (school record) for 271 yards, extending his Heisman run. Henry now stands at a total of 295 carries (school record) for 1,797 yards (school record) and 22 TDs (school record) on the season, and he has four games in which he rushed for more than 200 yards (ties school record).

It begs the question of how much more abuse Henry can take. The Tide will be going up against a tough Gators defense next week in Atlanta, and if Henry gets the ball as much as he did in the Iron Bowl, he may not be fully healthy in time for any playoff games.

4. Struggles finishing games

Last week, Saban told the College GameDay crew, “We’ve got to finish the season.”

Finishing games has been a problem all year. Alabama struggled against Ole Miss, and it struggled against Tennessee. Many argue the other wins that look good on paper should have looked even better, except that Alabama had trouble closing the deal.

Once the playoffs roll around, opposing teams aren’t going to just quit. Alabama will have to finish the game if it hopes to have a chance to bring a national title back home to Tuscaloosa.

5. Preparation

In the last few years, Alabama has returned from a bye week for a spectacular performance. But the preparation seems to suffer when the team has more than one week off between games.

Last year, No. 1 Alabama was upset by the four-seed Ohio State, and after the 2013 season, No. 3 Alabama fell to No. 11 Oklahoma in the bowl game.

The Tide won the BCS national championship in 2011 and in 2012 after more than a month off. Maybe being doubted is all the boys in Crimson need to light that fire.

How does the Tide fix its flaws? Preparation will be the biggest key for Alabama and its national title hopes. Saban and the rest of the coaching staff will need to help the team manage expectations, focus on the matchups and prepare for specific scenarios.

During this preparation, Alabama will need to work on improving the first three flaws. Coker needs to practice his awareness of the blitz, and he will need to work on keeping the ball in the hands of his receivers instead of the defenders. Kiffin needs to work with the offense on scoring in the red zone. The backup running backs will need to get some extra practice, while Henry and Drake will need to get some rest and TLC.

Finishing the game is going to be more in the line of mental preparation, but there will still be some physical aspects. The Tide defensive line may be deep enough to rotate players in and out, giving them plenty of rest, but that’s not the case for the rest of the team. Alabama will need to work out this flaw just like the rest.

If the Crimson Tide can correct these issues, it will have the chance to win the national title again.