Who is the SEC’s sexiest team heading into the 2015 season?

It’s the Auburn Tigers, thanks to a dual-threat quarterback who has drawn comparisons to Cam Newton thanks to his size and skill set along with the addition of Will Muschamp, a respected defensive guru hoping to re-energize his career as an assistant.

Sounds good, sure, but there’s still a brutal schedule to play and flattery breeds expectations. Some teams fold, others thrive under those conditions.

Auburn stumbled down the stretch last fall after winning the 2013 SEC Championship and reaching the BCS title game. The Tigers will need some more of that magic — maybe not to the extent of the Prayer at Jordan-Hare or Kick-Six — to do it again.

Best case scenario SEC series

AUBURN TIGERS

2014 record: 8-5, 4-4
2015 best case: 11-1, 7-1
Closer look: September begins with a bang for Auburn with games at LSU and home against Mississippi State on consecutive Saturdays beginning in Week 3. I don’t think the Tigers will be able to get past LSU, Alabama and Georgia unscathed this season, but winning 2-of-3 means a one-loss regular season culminating with their second league championship in three years would certainly be enough to warrant a College Football Playoff bid. There’s three potential roadblocks standing in the way of that trio, however. Arkansas, Ole Miss and Texas A&M won’t be easy outs and the Tigers take on all three West opponents over a three-game span. To win the division, Auburn will have to prevail in all three games.
Silver lining: It’s debatable, but Auburn is arguably the Western Division’s most talented team. Looking at both sides of the football, the Tigers are solid up front, athletic at the skill positions and are expected to be just fine at quarterback with Jeremy Johnson. So where is this team’s weakness? There’s depth concerns in the secondary and the defense as a unit must improve, but Gus Malzahn will know exactly where this team stands by their open date on Oct. 10. The Tigers will have already battled LSU and Mississippi State and wins in both of those contests gives Auburn a slight edge heading into the second half of the schedule.