By Matt Smith
SouthernPigskin.com

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While the college football world scoffed at head coach Nick Sabans notion at Media Days that the Crimson Tide were crebuildingd this year, there are some legitimate concerns in Tuscaloosa, most notably under center.

Our SEC 10 Burning Questions series kicks off with the team picked to win the conference at SEC Media Days last month. Alabama has had perhaps the longest offseason of any SEC team after losing its final two games, but returns perhaps the most talented roster in the country.

While the college football world scoffed at head coach Nick Sabans notion at Media Days that the Crimson Tide were crebuildingd this year, there are some legitimate concerns in Tuscaloosa, most notably under center. What are we most looking forward to seeing form the 2014 Tide? Lets look at Alabamas 10 burning questions.

1. Is Jacob Coker the real deal?

In many ways, Coker is a mysterious figure. Yes, Florida State insiders saying that the former Seminole seriously pushed Jameis Winston for the starting role last summer is nice, but just what exactly are the Crimson Tide getting in the fourth-year junior? After three years sitting behind Winston and E.J. Manuel, no one is quite sure. If you could draw up the prototypical pro-style quarterback, Cokers 65d, 230-pound frame would be an ideal starting point. Hes the most physically gifted quarterback Saban has had at Alabama. But can he lead in the way that Saban demands and that helped predecessors Greg McElroy and AJ McCarron combine for three national titles?

2. How will running back carries be split?

Its a good problem to have, but one or likely all of juniors Kenyan Drake and T.J. Yeldon and sophomore Derrick Henry will go underutilized. There is no more talented backfield than the one in Tuscaloosa, but there are only so many carries to go around. Henry was the bright spot of Alabamas Sugar Bowl defeat to Oklahoma, but Yeldon is the most experienced. Drake is the wild card, having been productive in limited action surrounding some time in Sabans doghouse. The Crimson Tide running game will undoubtedly be effective, but who makes it go remains uncertain.

3. Which Amari Cooper will we see?

Injuries limited Cooper to just eight starts as a sophomore, as the Miami native was a step below the player that he was a freshmen when he caught 11 touchdowns and gained 1,000 yards. Reliable veteran Kevin Norwood has departed, making Cooper the most experienced of a loaded receiving corps in terms of career production. He caught the game-winning touchdown in the 2012 SEC Championship Game and his 99-yard score at Auburn last year at the time appeared to be one of the most important plays of the season. This is almost certainly Coopers final season in college. If he stays healthy, expect him to leave school as Alabamas career receiving leader.

4. Is O.J. Howard the next All-American tight end?

Howard was the highest-rated tight end recruit of the Saban era when he signed with Alabama in 2013. He showed flashes of greatness as a freshman, catching 14 passes, including a game-changing 52-yard touchdown against LSU. Howard isnt a bad blocker, but hes more of the new age style of tight ends who play more like wide receivers. For a quarterback with little game experience like Coker (or whoever wins the job), a tight end can be the ultimate comfort. Is there a Mackey Award in Howards future? The pieces are there, but will he accumulate enough numbers in such a talented collection of skill position players?

5. Will the secondary be better?

The numbers look fine on paper, but Alabamas secondary wasnt the juggernaut that it has been for most of the Saban era. The loss of three starters wont necessarily help matters, but the Crimson Tide have to tighten up their pass defense that showed too many cracks in losses to Auburn and Oklahoma. Junior safety Landon Collins is the unofficial captain of the unit that includes cornerbacks Bradley Sylvie and Cyrus Jones and cornerback-turned-safety Geno Smith. Theres no shutdown cornerback a la Kareem Jackson, Dre Kirkpatrick or Dee Milliner, but there is also too much talent and too much Saban influence for this unit to repeat its costly lapses from 2013.

6. Is Trey DePriest ready to lead the linebackers?

The Rolando McClain era smoothly transitioned into the Donta Hightower era, which smoothly transitioned into the C.J. Mosley era. Now, Mosley is off to the NFL, handing DePriest the role of quarterback of the defense for his final college season. Mosley registered 215 tackles over the past two years, and itll be up to DePriest to fill the sizable void left by the first-round draft choice of the Baltimore Ravens. Not only is Mosley gone, but so is outside linebacker Adrian Hubbard. This is a bit of a transition year between the Mosley era and when young players like sophomore Reuben Foster and freshman Rashaan Evans really come into their own. A heavy burden falls on DePriest to ensure there isnt a dip in production despite some inexperience.

7. Can AShawn Robinson avoid a sophomore slump?

A last-minute flip from Texas just prior to National Signing Day in 2013, Robinson showed during his debut season why the Crimson Tide put the full-court press on him. At 64d and 320 pounds, he plays both three-technique tackle and five-technique end in Alabamas hybrid 3-4 defense, and could even slide to nose guard if incumbent Brandon Ivory goes down (Ivory is currently suspended indefinitely). Robinson started just two games last season, but thatll change this fall after the departures of Jeoffrey Pagan and Ed Stinson. Could Robinson double his 5.5 sack total from 2013?

8. Is Cam Robinson the best option at left tackle?

Alabama landed two of the top left tackle prospects in the country in Robinson from Louisiana and Ross Pierschbacher from Iowa. Robinson was a January enrollee, giving him a leg up to replace Cyrus Kouandijo on the blind side. Austin Shepherd started all 13 games last season on the right side, but unlike division rival Texas A&M, Alabama doesnt often flip starters at other positions to left tackle (aside from Barrett Jones in 2011) just because of its importance. Its a matter of when, not if, Robinson because one of the SECs best offensive tackles. There may be a few growing pains, but a positive spring from Robinson makes it more likely than not that the Crimson Tide will be just fine with a true freshman left tackle.

9. Is special teams settled after the Iron Bowl meltdown?

The 2013 Iron Bowl will be remembered for one unforgettable play, but the biggest factor in the outcome of the game was Alabama missing three earlier field goals in the game prior to Adam Griffiths 57-yard attempt that fell into Chris Davis arms and ended the Tides quest for a three-peat. Griffith should take over full-time duties, but could be pushed by freshman JK Scott. A Colorado native, Scott is also in line to succeed four-year starting punter Cody Mandell. The return game is fine with the slippery Christion Jones returning, but kicking and punting are both areas that need shoring up during fall camp. While the Tide are 33-3 in the regular season since 2011, they should be 35-1 had their placekicking not come undone against LSU in 2011 and last year in Auburn.

10. How will Alabama finish in the 2014 season?

Alabama shouldnt be lacking for motivation entering 2014 with a two-game losing streak, one of just three SEC teams (Arkansas, Kentucky) to do so. The schedule is again manageable, with bye weeks before road trips to Ole Miss and LSU and a game with Western Carolina before the Iron Bowl. Expect an 11-1 regular season, however, as even the extra preparation time for the three key games wont be enough for a sweep. That should be enough to win the SEC West, but the SEC Championship Game is a different story. Despite entering the game with a 9-1 record in the Georgia Dome, Saban will be denied a fifth SEC title by South Carolina, sending the Tide to the Orange Bowl for a date with Michigan State.