Snitker earned the team a 115th-place ranking in coaching. Gon

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama opened preseason camp in the wake of several summer arrests and departures and with a quarterback competition still going strong.Despite all that, the challenges remain pretty typical for the defending national champions and have little or nothing to do with talent. There was no shortage of that when the Crimson Tide opened camp Thursday in the stifling heat of Alabama summers -- and Alabamas falls.Coach Nick Saban still had some off-the-field matters to address when he took the podium since it hasnt entirely been a smooth ride since winning his fourth national title at `Bama.The Tide is facing some backlash over a decision to prevent recent graduate defensive back Maurice Smith from transferring to another Southeastern Conference school -- in this case Georgia. Thats drawn more headlines than the quarterback situation this week.We support the SEC rule of not granting guys releases to go to other SEC schools, Saban said, declining to answer questions on the matter. It has been our policy here not to do that unless there was a special circumstance.Two young players -- receiver Daylon Charlot and linebacker Christian Bell -- have announced plans to transfer in the past couple of weeks, and junior college transfer offensive tackle Charles Baldwin was dismissed in May.Meanwhile, three summertime suspensions wont necessarily carry over into the season. Defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson said it wasnt a distraction in the offseason either.Its easy to deal with because you know what you have to come in here and do day to day, and you cant let the off-the-field situations affect you off the field or on the field, Tomlinson said.Left tackle Cameron Robinson and reserve defensive back Hootie Jones arent likely to miss any action when Alabama kicks off against Southern California in Arlington, Texas, barring further issues, Saban said. Both were arrested on drug and weapons charges in Louisiana, but the prosecutor decided not to pursue the cases.Guard Alphonse Taylor was arrested in July on drunken driving charges and suspended indefinitely, but practiced Thursday. Saban said hes not ready to make a decision on his status for the USC game.Likewise, hes not going to rush to judgment on the quarterback battle, which carries over into preseason camp for the third straight year. This time its 2015 backup Cooper Bateman, redshirt freshman Blake Barnett and sophomore David Cornwell vying to replace Jake Coker.Freshman Jalen Hurts also went through spring practice.Saban said Cornwell has been bothered by a foot injury all summer and had limited repetitions in Thursdays practice. He was in the mix with Coker and Bateman for a while a year ago.All three of the other guys have made significant progress throughout the summer, Saban said. Somebody has got to win the job, somebody has got to become the leader, the guy that can go out there and execute and win the confidence of his teammates and the players that he plays with on offense. I think we have three guys that are all capable of that.I would love it if one of them separated themselves sooner rather than later, but I dont think this is something that you can force to happen. Because if you try to do that, you put a guy in there and it doesnt work, youve got to make changes. 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This story is part of ESPN The Magazines Oct. 31 NBA Preview Issue. Subscribe today!Atlanta BravesOverall: 104 Title track: 58 Ownership: 113 Coaching: 115 Players: 104 Fan relations: 109 Affordability: 64 Stadium experience: 99 Bang for the buck: 85 Change from last year: -22The Braves dropped 22 spots in these rankings, which is not surprising for the team spent most of 2016 hovering around worst in baseball status. But despite a disappointing season (and this triple-digit ranking), there are positive signs upon which to build as management ends the tear down phase and enters a transitional period.Whats goodFor one, Braves tickets average just $19.13 per seat, the second-cheapest in the league and $12 below MLB average. Even if you wont get to see a win (the team won just 31 home games last year), at least you can afford a few beers, though they, at least, will cost you $7.75 each. Although the Braves dipped 21 spots in players, they made notable acquisitions to provide players around whom they can build. The best among those are outfielder Ender Inciarte, a defensive stud who can hit, and shortstop Dansby Swanson, who might just be the next Derek Jeter. The Braves are also well-positioned with superstar first baseman Freddie Freeman locked into his deal until 2021 and top pitcher Julio Teheran, who has shown occasional ace capability, signed throuugh 2019.ddddddddddddWhats badIt isnt so much whats bad as it is whats uncertain. The combination of Fredi Gonzalez (who started the season 9-28) and Brian Snitker earned the team a 115th-place ranking in coaching. Gonzalez managed the team to 94 and 96 wins in 2012 and 2013 but was sub -.500 the next two seasons. Snitker, now the Braves 2017 manager after the team removed his interim tag, is an unknown commodity over a full season. The Braves finished the season strong, highlighted by a seven-game win streak comprised entirely against the Marlins, Nationals and Mets. The question is whether that was a fluke or a future reality.Whats newUnsurprisingly, even with the second-cheapest tickets in baseball, a 68-win season dropped the Braves hard in bang for the buck, down 56 spots to 85th overall (seventh-worst in baseball). More changes are to come next season. The Braves are abandoning Turner Field after only 20 seasons and moving to SunTrust Park in the suburb of Cobb County, with claims that the fan experience will be considerably better (Less traffic! Great parking! Better restaurants! Intimate seating!). We wont know if it lives up to its billing until next season really gets going.Next: San Diego Padres?| Full rankings ' ' '