Some teams and players used spring practice to either reaffirm or recant our faith in them this coming season.

Based on that and what we saw in 2015, we have an idea as to which of them you can bank on in 2016. Whose value at this point in time is worth investing in, and who should you be jumping ship on before September comes around?

Buy low

  • First-year starting QBs in SEC East — Luke Del Rio, Brandon McIlwain and Jacob Eason are expected to start this season, and each player has given their fans reason for optimism this season. After the trio garnered headlines all throughout the spring for wooing coaches and players in practices that were mostly behind the curtains, each of them put on a show for all to see in their respective spring games. Del Rio went 10-for-11 with 176 yards and 2 TDs. Although that was against Florida’s second-string defense, that unit has plenty of talent and Del Rio showed command and poise while running the offense. McIlwain went 19-for-26 with 169 yards and 2 TDs for South Carolina. Coach Will Muschamp praised McIlwain in the spring, saying he and Perry Orth had distanced themselves in the QB battle. Eason, already shouldering massive expectations, played above those by going 19-for-29 with 244 yards and a TD. Whether their teams meet expectations isn’t clear, but each school seems to have a QB it can depend on for multiple years.
  • Dave Aranda (LSU) and Kevin Steele (Auburn) — Both Auburn and LSU got themselves a pair of defensive coordinators that should thrive at their new schools. Aranda is transitioning LSU into a 3-4 base scheme, and he seems to have all the tools he needs to hit the ground running with it in Year 1. The Tigers return all four of their starting defensive linemen from last season in what should be a scary group. The linebacking corps took a hit with the losses of Deion Jones and Lamar Louis, but there’s plenty of speed and talent surrounding Kendell Beckwith, and the secondary is loaded as usual. Likewise, Auburn has talent at every level with LB Tre’ Williams, CB Carlton Davis and DE Carl Lawson, who will lead a defensive front that everyone in The Plains are excited about. The unit showed what it could do against high-powered Memphis in the Birmingham Bowl.
  • Tennessee offensive improvement — The hype surrounding the Vols’ offense is just as trustworthy as the hype surrounding the team in general. Everyone wants QB Josh Dobbs to show improvement in the downfield passing game, and it certainly seems like the school has some downfield weapons that should help him with that. Receivers Preston Williams and Jeff George turned heads during the spring with their playmaking abilities, and they’ll join Josh Malone, Josh Smith, Jauan Jennings, Ethan Wolf and Jason Croom among others as options. The offensive line returns four of five starters and should be one of the best groups in the conference. It also doesn’t hurt that Dobbs will have the RB tandem of Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara behind him. The Vols relied heavily on that pair in 2015, ranking ninth in offensive yards per play (5.6) and ninth in passing offense (198.6). Meanwhile, only Auburn, Missouri and Vandy completed fewer passes of 20-plus yards. Those fortunes should change this season.

Sell high

  • Arkansas’ pass defense  — The Razorbacks’ pass defense has had a history of being bad in recent years. In six of the past eight seasons, Arkansas has ranked 10th or worse among SEC teams in passing yards allowed per game, including dead last in 2015 by allowing 275.2 per game. While Fayetteville is excited to have former Iowa State head coach Paul Rhoads coaching defensive backs now, that may help long term but this season may still be a struggle. The defensive front should be great, but the development of the secondary will be key for Arkansas in 2016. It’ll be tested with a couple early road games against spread offenses in TCU (Sept. 10) and Texas A&M (Sept. 24).
  • Trevor Knight — Texas A&M got itself a quarterback with plenty of FBS experience, but that time in Norman had very mixed reviews. SEC fans, especially those in Tuscaloosa, remember Knight throwing for 348 yards and 4 TDs in a 45-31 win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl following the 2013 season. However, Knight struggled in losses to TCU and Baylor the following year. He was knocked out of the game against Baylor and missed three games before returning in the Russell Athletic Bowl against Clemson, a 40-6 loss in which he threw 3 INTs. Then, he was beat out by Baker Mayfield for the starting job last offseason. The last time he appeared in a regular season game, he came in for Mayfield against TCU last season with Oklahoma up 23-7. He went 5-for-15 with 76 yards and a pick as the Sooners barely held on to win 30-29. Knight has weapons, but the offensive line lost three starters and the running game is suspect.
  • Kentucky ending its bowl drought — The Wildcats’ chances of ending their five-year bowl drought look to be good with several winnable games: non-conference matchups against New Mexico State and Austin Peay along with home games against fellow SEC East cellar dwellers from 2015 in South Carolina and Vanderbilt. They also get Mississippi State at home and travel to Missouri. That’s six wins right there if Mark Stoops and Co. can make it happen. However, it’s become a we’ll-believe-it-when-we-see-it deal with the ‘Cats. Plus, UK draws road games at Florida, at Alabama, at Tennessee and at Louisville. The key may be the season opener against Southern Miss on Sept. 3, but notice how I didn’t lump them in the winnable games section with New Mexico State and Austin Peay. After winning a combined four games from 2012-14, the Eagles went 9-5 while winning the C-USA West in Todd Monken’s third season at the helm.