By Matt Smith
SouthernPigskin.com

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From one year to the next, the balance of power can shift dramatically in the SEC.

If theres one thing the 2012 SEC football season taught us, its that hope springs eternal in college football.

From one year to the next, the balance of power can shift dramatically. Auburn went from national champions to winless in conference play in just two years. Texas A&M, a year removed from having a losing record in the Big 12, won its final six games to finish in the top five nationally, including a monumental upset of No. 1 Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

However, not all is well in the SEC as we approach the 100 days to go mark of the college football offseason. There are plenty of concerns around the league heading into fall camp. Lets take a closer look at 10 units that may cause their respective fanbases to tap the brakes a bit on their perennial springtime love affair with their teams.

Auburn Quarterbacks

There will likely be four contenders for the starting quarterback job on the Plains come August. Junior Kiehl Frazier and sophomore Jonathan Wallace did little to separate themselves this spring, and freshman Jeremy Johnson and junior college transfer Nick Marshall will arrive on campus in a matter of weeks.

The one with the most upside, and most experience, appears to be Marshall. Head coach Gus Malzahn coached junior college transfer Cam Newton to a Heisman Trophy and a national title in 2010, but Marshall did not go through spring practice like Newton did.

A fairly light early schedule may provide Malzahn with the opportunity to turn the keys over to Marshall and let him learn on the job before SEC play begins.

Arkansas Running Backs

Knile Davis career came to a disappointing end, although an injury in 2011 and a coaching change in 2012 were out of his control. Dennis Johnson, who had been at Arkansas so long he may have played in the Southwest Conference, also departs.

Sophomore Jonathan Williams is a big back who fits what new coach Bret Bielema wants to do offensively, but five-star recruit Alex Collins is both the present and future. One of the craziest National Signing Day controversies temporarily delayed Collins signing with the Razorbacks, but the south Florida native is on his way to Fayetteville.

Once there, hell need to make an immediate impact against a schedule that includes consecutive games against Texas A&M, Florida, South Carolina and Alabama.

Florida Wide Receivers

Florida had a brief recruiting dip during the final year of Urban Meyers tenure and the transition to Will Muschamp. The Gators have recovered at most positions heading into Muschamps third season, but theyll be leaning heavily on a group of freshmen to produce at receiver.

Andre Debose hasnt proven he can be a No. 1 receiver, and the Loucheiz Purifoy experiment at wide receiver remains just that 3 an experiment. Early-enrollee Demarcus Robinson looked the part during the spring and could start be an opening day starter.

Junior Quinton Dunbar, like Debose, has yet to live up to the hype. Trey Burton remains a weapon, but offensive coordinator Brent Pease hasnt been able to find how to fit him into the Gators offensive puzzle.

Mississippi State Wide Receivers

All three Bulldogs starters are gone from last years team that started 7-0 but slumped to a 1-5 finish. Mississippi State has the luxury of a senior quarterback, but itll need some playmakers to step up on the outside to fully take advantage of Tyler Russells arm.

There is talent in Starkville with sophomore Joe Morrow and juniors Robert Johnson and Jameon Lewis, but none of the trio has been more than a role player. That will change this fall, when theyll be expected to be closer to 800-yard, eight-touchdown players. Morrow is the big target at 64d, and could help improve a red zone offense that scored touchdowns on just 60% of its red zone trips in 2012.

Keep an eye on versatile, speedy redshirt freshman Brandon Holloway, who could line up both in the backfield and on the outside.

Alabama Offensive Line

Is it nit-picking to call this a concern for the team who will be everyones preseason No. 1 team? Maybe. However, when you lose three starters off of arguably the greatest offensive line of the BCS era, theres going to be at least a whimper of hesitation.

Left tackle Cyrus Kouandijo is a likely first-round NFL draft pick in 2014, and right guard Anthony Steen is a returning multi-year starter. The other three spots will feature new starters as replacements for D.J. Fluker, Barrett Jones and Chance Warmack.

Kouandijos older brother, Arie, will slide in for Warmack next to his brother. Center Ryan Kelly has little game experience, but was the No. 1 center in practices for the BCS Championship Games with Jones injured. While this unit will be fine, it may take a month or so to develop into what were accustomed to seeing from a Crimson Tide offensive line.

Texas A&M Offensive Line

Its not just left tackle Luke Joeckel, who was selected No. 2 overall in the NFL Draft. Center Patrick Lewis may have been the most underappreciated player in the country last year. The famous Johnny Manziel fumble/recovery/touchdown pass against Alabama doesnt happen without Lewis helping give Manziel ample time in the pocket.

Sophomore Mike Matthews, the younger brother of tackle Jake Matthews and son of longtime NFL lineman Bruce Matthews, steps in for Lewis. The pedigree is there, but the shoes to fill are massive. Cedric Ogbuehi replaces Jake Matthews on the right side after playing guard last year as Matthews slides over to the left side to replace Joeckel.

Left guard Jarvis Harrison is the lone returning starter at his 2012 position. Manziel can improvise as well as any quarterback in the country, but he often had the time to be able to do so a year ago. While this is still a solid unit, it will be interesting to find out just how much Manziel was aided by the dominant 2012 unit playing in front of him.

LSU Defensive Line

If you paid attention to last months NFL Draft, youre aware that any of the Bayou Bengals three defensive units could be considered a question mark. Eight new starters will be on the field on Aug. 31 when LSU meets TCU, with four of those coming along the defensive line.

While there is experience with juniors Anthony Johnson and Jermauria Rasco, there isnt every-down experience. Defensive end Jordan Allen is recovering from a serious knee injury that cost him all but two games of the 2012 season, but the junior had a productive spring.

Incoming freshman Greg Gilmore figures to immediately factor into a rotation that will likely need seven or eight players to be successful.

Georgia Defensive Line

Its hard to find a weak link in the Georgia offense, but Todd Granthams defense was gutted by losses on all three levels, including two linebackers who were selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. However, the biggest concern in Athens lies in the trenches.

All four major pieces of last years line that fell just yards short of the BCS Championship Game are gone, as is position coach Rodney Garner, who left for Auburn. Senior Garrison Smith and sophomore Sterling Bailey appear to be in line to start at end, but Bailey played in just three games last season. The 8Dawgs could also benefit from the light finally coming on for former five-star recruit Ray Drew.

Replacing John Jenkins and Kwame Geathers at nose tackle will be junior Mike Thornton, a solid player but not the physical freak that his predecessors were.

South Carolina Linebackers

Yes, the offense will miss Marcus Lattimore and Ace Sanders, but there is enough depth at running back and wide receiver to overcome those losses without much problem. The same cant be said about losing Shaq Wilson and Reginald Bowens from the linebacking corps.

The remaining pieces dont lack speed in coordinator Lorenzo Wards 4-2-5 alignment, but it is an undersized group. Sophomores Kaiwan Lewis and Cedrick Cooper appear to be the favorites to start, with freshmen Larenz Bryant likely to factor in somewhere.

The loss of DeVonte Holloman at the hybrid Spur position is significant, but theres more experience at Spur than at the two traditional linebacker spots.

Missouri Linebackers

The Tigers going 5-7 in their SEC debut wasnt a complete shock, but it was nothing short of a disappointment with the only league wins coming over Kentucky at home and at Tennessee in four overtimes.

The defense was gashed by the leagues heavyweights last year, and now must replace not only first-round NFL Draft pick Sheldon Richardson at defensive tackle, but also two three-year starting linebackers, Zaviar Gooden and Will Ebner.

Its likely to be a transition year for the Missouri linebackers, as a trio of redshirt freshmen are groomed to likely take over starting roles in 2014. Thats not exactly the ideal recipe for the Tigers to return to the postseason.