What we didn’t learn in the SEC West this spring

10:51 AM ET

It’s OK to get excited about what we saw this spring. It’s got to get us through the next three months, so read into the scrimmages and spring “games” all you want.

But be careful not to get carried away. In the end, some of the most important things we needed to learn about teams in the SEC went unanswered.

Yesterday we examined the one thing we didn’t learn from each team in the East. Today we turn our attention to the West.

Alabama: Will complacency set in?

Things look good now, but realistically this isn’t a question that can be answered in the spring, summer or fall. Remember, we didn’t know of some of the deeper issues facing Alabama’s 2014 team until well into the 2015 season. It was then that we heard how some players were more concerned with their draft stock than the scoreboard, as Reggie Ragland put it. Coming off a national championship, it’s natural to worry a little less about the team and think that winning will come naturally. You lose a little bit of the edge that got you a ring in the first place. But that little bit is so often the difference between a disappointing season and a chance at going back-to-back.

Arkansas: Will the run-pass balance shift?

Don’t get caught up in what you saw during the spring game. That was only a fraction of the playbook. What remains to be seen is whether Bret Bielema and Dan Enos shake things up and lean even heavier toward the pass this season. Think about it: running backs Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams are gone, Rawleigh Williams is coming off of a serious injury and suddenly you have Bielema calling the receivers the strength of the team. Granted, Austin Allen has never started at quarterback, but clearly there is confidence in his ability. After what Brandon Allen did last season throwing for 3,440 yards, it would be no surprise to see the offense move away from the ground-and-pound mentality Bielema ingrained his first …

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