The Associated Press weighed in this weekend on where teams stand heading into the season and not surprisingly, the defending champs enter the year at No. 1.

However, what are the biggest reasons why Alabama can repeat as national champions?

1. The men on the sidelines

The top reason Alabama can repeat as national champions has just as much to do with the men on the sidelines as the men on the field. Head coach Nick Saban knows half of his job is to recruit players who have exceptional talent and can fit into his system. In college football, convincing great players to join a program is as important as Xs and Os.

Sure, choosing to execute a brilliant onside kick that helped swing the momentum in the national championship game further proves Saban’s coaching acumen. However, recruiting top five classes year after year is one of the major reasons Alabama is a perennial contender.

Related to that, bringing ace recruiter Jeremy Pruitt into the fold was an outstanding move. Furthermore, Pruitt helps ease the loss of top-notch defensive coordinator Kirby Smart. Pruitt had great success as Alabama’s secondary coach, he continued to do well when elevated to defensive coordinator for Florida State’s championship team in 2013 and he improved a young Georgia defense in 2014 and 2015.

Alabama’s defense is a major reason the team enters the season as the favorite to hoist the championship trophy again at the end of the season.

2. The man in the middle

Another reason the Crimson Tide can repeat as national champions is the leader of the defense: Reuben Foster. As the Mike of this season’s team, Foster will be charged with calling the plays for the defense. The senior linebacker is taking over the position from All-American Reggie Ragland.

Normally losing a player of Ragland’s stature would be a huge blow, but having Foster ready to step up means the team shouldn’t miss much. Foster finished second on the team in overall tackles with 73, just behind Ragland, while posting 6 tackles for a loss, two more than Ragland.

3. Sack masters

Jonathan Allen and Tim Williams are two reasons in one why the team can repeat last season’s success. Both players passed up the NFL Draft to return to school to refine their skills. Both players want to show NFL coaches they can do a lot more than just rush the passer.

However, rushing the passer is a big part of the reason they are so valuable to the team. Having two players with double-digit sacks in a season makes it that much harder for teams to game plan accordingly. The team also has Ryan Anderson and Rashaan Evans in the linebacker unit, a pair that combined for 10 sacks. No one got to the quarterback better than Bama, which posted 52 QB takedowns last season.

4. Secondary second to none

The Alabama secondary is one of the best in the SEC, even with all of the transfers and a suspension. Eddie Jackson is probably the best safety in the SEC after co-leading the league last season with six interceptions. Ronnie Harrison is a great complement at safety, while Marlon Humphrey and Minkah Fitzpatrick emerged as being among the better cornerbacks in the SEC.

Both players were highly regarded coming out of high school, and both players have tremendous size at around 6-foot-1-inches and 200 pounds. When Tony Brown returns from suspension, both he and Hootie Jones add depth to a strong secondary.

5. Playmaking pass-catchers

The 2016 team has plenty of questions on offense, but one major area of strength is at wide receiver, where the team has an abundance of riches. The vocal leader of the group is ArDarius Stewart, while Calvin Ridley earned Second-Team All-SEC honors in his true freshman season.

Redshirt junior Robert Foster, who was competing with Ridley for the top spot with the group last season before he suffered a season-ending injury, returns this season and has stood out in fall camp. Meanwhile, the team has a plethora of options behind the top three, including a talented graduate transfer (Gehrig Dieter), another redshirt junior (Raheem Falkins) and junior (Cam Sims) who have previously flashed talent and younger players who may shine if given the chance.

Saban sounded excited when he mentioned he can see at least six from the group receiving serious minutes, affording the team the opportunity to run in hurry-up mode.