In four short months, college softball will have a national champion. Until a few thousand games sort that out, let's start the 2016 season with some questions about what is ahead.

The Gators are setting out on just their 20th season of softball, making them younger in their own state than the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars, but they've already accumulated a lot of history.

A year after joining Arizona and UCLA -- the Rome and Athens of college softball civilization -- as the only programs to win back-to-back national championships, Florida can expand its empire by matching the Bruins as the only programs to win three in a row. And remember that when UCLA won the third of those titles in 1990, there were 171 Division I programs and fewer than 3,000 players. A year ago, Florida was one of 295 Division I programs with more than 6,000 players.

It is a far wider softball world over which Florida reigns.

Even without Lauren Haeger, last season's USA Softball Player of the Year, the Gators are stocked to keep on winning (no small feat, given that UCLA in 2003 and Oklahoma in 2014 are the only teams to so much as reach the World Series the season after losing the national player of the year). Most of the rest of the lineup returns, including All-American Kelsey Stewart, who will play some shortstop, Team USA catcher Aubree Munro and all-SEC outfielder Kirsti Merritt. There is a freshman class in which a pitcher who is already a member of the national team, Kelly Barnhill, may not even be the top-rated recruit, depending on which ranking of left fielder Amanda Lorenz you choose to use.

Unlike the past two seasons, when Hannah Rogers and then Haeger excelled down the stretch, there will not be a senior ace in the circle. But between Aleshia Ocasio, the starter in the clinching game, Delanie Gourley and Barnhill, there should be plenty of pitching.

The reigning champion is always at least part of the story of a new season, but Florida's shadow extends beyond that norm this season. While the Gators will say they care only about the present, their title defense is about past and future, too. Tennessee was the first team from the SEC to play for a national championship. Alabama was the first from the conference to win one -- and only the second team to do so from east of the Mississippi River. With seven World Series appearances in the past eight years and now back-to-back championships, Florida is the next progression.

Where two decades ago there was nothing, now there is an empire.

2. Which teams are best positioned to stop Florida?

Sierra Romero is the No. 1 reason Michigan is back in the hunt this season, but she's far from the only reason. Eric Bronson/Michigan Photography

The case for Alabama: Alexis Osorio ran out of steam in the World Series, but an epic super regional against Oklahoma leaves her an experienced sophomore ace. On the offensive side, Marisa Runyon is a run producer who could be on the verge of a special season, Haylie McCleney already had three special seasons, and transfer Sydney Booker is an intriguing piece of the puzzle.

The case for Auburn: It's still pitching by committee -- North Carolina transfer Kaylee Carlson adds another arm to the mix -- but you're going to doubt Clint Myers after his teams reached the World Series eight times in 10 seasons? With six of the top eight hitters back, Auburn will make life easier for its pitchers by scoring runs and playing some of the nation's best defense.

The case for LSU: An unusual amount of continuity is a theme among this season's contenders, and LSU is no exception. Only one starter is missing from the lineup that lost to Michigan in the semifinals. The Tigers return three pitchers, innings Carley Hoover and Allie Walljasper, and most of a lineup that ranked third in the SEC in on-base percentage.

Case for Michigan: The Wolverines still have Sierra Romero, and that's a good start. They still have Kelly Christner and Sierra Lawrence, too, along with most of an offense that ranked third nationally in runs per game. The challenge is replacing Haylie Wagner, the pitcher who was so good in the World Series. But Megan Betsa was the ace for much of the season and ranked third in the nation in strikeout rate.

Case for Oregon: What better way to celebrate a new stadium than by bringing home a first championship banner? The Ducks have the best pitcher in the country, Cheridan Hawkins, and even in this day and age of rising offensive totals, that goes a long way. Losing leadoff hitter and Team USA outfielder Janie Takeda to graduation is a blow, but it's softened by the return of eight other starters and several reserves whose numbers begged for more time.

3. Who is the best player in the country?

Oregon pitcher Cheridan Hawkins looks like a contender for player of the year. AP Photo/Alonzo Adams

Depends on what you're looking for. There are position players, like Stanford shortstop Ashley Hansen, the USA Softball Player of the Year in 2011. There are pitchers, such as Florida State's Lacey Waldrop who won the USA Softball award in 2014. And there are those players who both pitch and hit, such as Florida's Lauren Haeger a season ago. Here are three we're looking at:

Position: Sierra Romero, Michigan: Romero was espnW's player of the year as a junior. She has the talent, name recognition and the gaudy numbers (.449 batting average with 22 home runs and 21 stolen bases a season ago) to be considered the best of the best.

Pitcher: Cheridan Hawkins, Oregon: Dominant aces are harder and harder to come by. As offensive totals continue to skyrocket, a pitcher like Hawkins (30-5, 1.64 ERA, 282 Ks) stands out from the crowd. She was nearly a run better in ERA than any other pitcher in the Pac-12 a season ago. Let's see if her senior season is even more special.

Combination: Sara Groenewegen, Minnesota: Groenewegen was the only player in the nation a season ago to win at least 30 games, strike out at least 300 batters and hit at least 10 home runs. Talk about filling up a box score. We'll see if the junior can put on an encore.

4. Who are five new faces to know?

Kelly Barnhill, P, Florida: The national team of today is younger by necessity. But it is still jolting to see any pitcher make Team USA before ever throwing a ball in a college game. Also the ace of the junior national team that won a world title last year, Barnhill brings that resume to Gainesville. Coach Tim Walton isn't feeding the hype, praising her talents but also stressing the strength work Barnhill, like any freshman, still needs. Of course, he soft-sold Ocasio's readiness a year ago, too. Then he handed her the ball against Michigan on the second day of the season.

Sydney Romero, IF, Oklahoma: It has been a long time since Oklahoma took the field without at least two of these superstars: Lauren Chamberlain, Shelby Pendley, Keilani Ricketts and Jessica Shults. It won't be solely on the freshmen to fill that void, but the younger sister of Sierra Romero is accustomed enough to shrug off impossible comparisons and be herself.

Rachel Garcia, P, UCLA and Taylor McQuillin, P, Arizona: Highly touted freshman pitchers are one reason both traditional powers open with optimism and Oklahoma City aspirations, despite Arizona exiting meekly in a super regional and UCLA losing pitcher-slugger-superwoman Ally Carda. Good news is that neither freshman who dominated in competitive high school and travel ball settings may need to do too much, especially at Arizona, where San Diego State transfer Danielle O'Toole is eligible after sitting out last season.

Regan Green, P, Mississippi State: There are other recruits as highly touted -- Tennessee seems to collect them by the bushel. But like fellow incoming freshman Kenzi Maguire at South Carolina, Green is notable as a talent who could be the tipping point for a program nearing the next level. If Green settles in quickly alongside returnee Alexis Silkwood, the Bulldogs could not only be present for the SEC tournament already set for Starkville, Mississippi, but a tough out.

5. What are five stories to follow this season?

Florida's Kelsey Stewart will take aim at the NCAA hits record in 2016. J.P. Wilson/Icon Sportswire

More Florida history: A third consecutive national title is the big prize, but it isn't the only potential history-in-the-making at Florida. With less fanfare than Lauren Chamberlain's pursuit of the home run record (home runs will always get the headlines), Kelsey Stewart is in position to challenge the NCAA all-time hits record. She needs 113 hits, a mark reached only six times in a single season, to catch Arizona's Alison McCutcheon, but she totaled 102 and 101, respectively, the past two seasons.

The other race for No. 1: The two coaches involved will duck any light that shines on them at the expense of the field, but Arizona's Mike Candrea and Michigan's Carol Hutchins should get used to it. One of them will pass former Fresno State coach Margie Wright as the winningest coach in Division I history this season. The drama is seeing who gets there first. Hutchins has a four-win lead, 1,432 to 1,428, as they chase Wright's 1,457 wins. Both teams play tough early schedules.

Two slingshots to take on Goliath: With the exception of perennial contender Louisiana-Lafayette, few teams outside major conferences make it to Oklahoma City. The best of the rest this season, and maybe the best since Hawaii's home run-happy teams, is James Madison. That's because few teams in any conference have dual-threat talents like Jailyn Ford and Megan Good. With those two, this is a mid-major team built for an era that increasingly demands pitching depth.

Big pitching duel, small stage: Off most radars, the April 17 doubleheader between conference rivals University of Indianapolis and University of Missouri-St. Louis will hopefully feature at least one matchup between Indianapolis ace Morgan Foley and UMSL ace Hannah Perryman. If it does, you will have to search long and hard to find an NCAA game between pitchers with more combined strikeouts. Foley and Perryman are both on pace to challenge the Division II career strikeout record. No active pitchers in any division have more strikeouts than Foley (1,162) and Perryman (1,158).

Familiar faces in unfamiliar territory: Thanks in part to their work in the Women's College World Series, Taryne Mowatt and Keilani Ricketts are two of the more recognizable figures in softball. Even in Mississippi, a state that hasn't had much World Series relevance since Courtney Blades left Southern Miss more than a decade ago. But now former Pac-12 star Mowatt is an assistant coach at Ole Miss, while former Big 12 star Ricketts is a volunteer assistant at Mississippi State (where older sister Samantha is a full-time assistant). As if the SEC needed more star power.