Alabama will need to be at its peak in an SEC featuring talented LSU and Mississippi

Alabama may be atop the college football world as the season starts — the Crimson Tide are No. 1 in the major preseason polls — but the path back to the College Football Playoff is strewn with substantial obstacles in the Southeastern Conference.

Louisiana State might have the nation’s best running back, and Mississippi and Tennessee are experienced and deep in talent.

So, though Alabama might very well start out as the class of college football, the SEC as a conference does as well, and the Crimson Tide will need to operate at peak performance week in and week out. (That includes its season opener against No. 20 USC — the one from Los Angeles, not South Carolina.)

A look at how the conference shapes up:

Top story lines

Can Alabama repeat?

The last school to win back-to-back national major-college football titles is USC, and the Trojans later had to vacate the second, for the 2004 season.

Alabama opens against USC on Saturday in Arlington, Texas, and will face Mississippi, Tennessee and Louisiana State on the road.

If the Tide make it back to the championship game, they will have earned it.

Can any team slow Leonard Fournette?

Last season, Alabama did, holding the LSU running back to 31 yards in 19 carries. But no other team did.

Fournette rushed for 100 or more yards in his first seven games, and 10 of 12 games overall. He capped his sophomore season with 212 yards in LSU’s dominant Texas Bowl win over Texas Tech, and that wasn’t even his best — or second- or third-best — performance of the year.

He had 228 yards in 19 carries against Auburn in Week 3, followed by 244 yards in 26 carries against Syracuse and 233 yards in 26 carries against Eastern Michigan.

Top players

Offense

♦ Fournette: He will be the conference’s top ticket, making for appointment television. He opens against Wisconsin, and the Badgers’ outstanding contingent of linebackers, on Saturday. Fittingly, the game will be played at an NFL stadium, Lambeau Field.

♦ Calvin Ridley, wide receiver, Alabama: After a modest start in his freshman season — 17 catches his first four games — Ridley collected 120 yards on five catches at Georgia, and followed that with 140 yards on nine catches against Arkansas a week later. Ridley had a combined 16 receptions for 240 yards and two touchdowns against Florida in the SEC title game and the College Football Playoff semifinal against Michigan State.

Defense

♦ Myles Garrett, defensive end, Texas A&M: Garrett collected 12.5 sacks in 2015, and is said to be in the mix to be the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NFL draft. Warning to quarterback Josh Rosen of UCLA, which faces the Aggies on Saturday: Garrett’s goal this season is 20 sacks.

♦ Tim Williams, linebacker, Alabama: Williams made 9.5 sacks last season, and is a formidable component in the Crimson Tide’s front seven.

Newcomers

♦ Gregory Little, offensive tackle, Mississippi: Little is considered one of the nation’s best freshmen, and is a candidate to replace Laremy Tunsil on the left side of the Rebels’ line.

♦ Nate Craig-Myers, wide receiver, Auburn: The Tigers’ top returning receiver had 13 catches in 2015, opening the door for this freshman and classmate Kyle Davis.

The games

Best during nonconference

♦ Alabama vs. USC.

♦ Florida State at Mississippi, Monday.

Best during conference

♦ Mississippi at LSU, Oct. 22: If Alabama is undefeated and cruising through the conference at this point, which is highly possible, LSU would need to win this game to challenge the Crimson Tide in the SEC West Division.

♦ Alabama at LSU, Nov. 5: This game is already circled on the calendars of many college football fans. The outcome could determine the SEC champion, and it also pits Fournette against what might be the nation’s best front seven.

You read it here

Whether it’s Georgia’s Nick Chubb or one of the SEC’s second-tier running backs edging him, Fournette won’t lead the conference in rushing because of the fear of mortgaging his professional future in his third college season. If Fournette confronts any small injuries or the Tigers suffer a few early losses, it’s not likely he’ll be pushing himself too hard by the end of the year.

jesse.dougherty@latimes.com

Twitter: @dougherty_jesse