Auburn has become a trendy pick to win the SEC (even as the Tigers are ranked behind Alabama in the preseason coaches' poll). There's a lot of offensive talent coming back, and the defense has to be better with Will Muschamp running things on that side.

But what really sticks out to people is how much better the passing game should be with junior quarterback Jeremy Johnson. He's played in 13 games -- making two starts -- but has a cannon for a right arm. While he isn't the slippery runner that predecessor Nick Marshall was, he can run over folks.

Those are a couple of reasons why Johnson has been compared to former Auburn superstar Cam Newton. Coach Gus Malzahn likes what he has in Johnson, but isn't ready to call him the next Newton.

"I don't like to compare any players to the players before. He has potential," Malzahn said. "He's set up; he's in a good spot with his knowledge of the offense. His experience, even though he hasn't started a full year, he has really good experience compared to the players we've had in the past. He is a big guy in high school that ran -- I'm not going to say the exact offense, but it was real close. And he had a lot of success in high school running the football."

Like 2010 and 2013, this Auburn team has an explosive offense with a first-year quarterback. Could be something special.

To read more about Malzahn's comments concerning Johnson and the Tigers in 2015, check out AL.com.