Auburn will try to repeat as SEC West champion in 2018. More so, the Tigers will try to make it to the College Football Playoff for the first time.

In order to accomplish both, there are some scenarios that need to play out in Auburn’s favor. There also are scenarios that the Tigers need to try to avoid.

Here are five of the best and worst-case scenarios for Auburn in 2018.

Dream scenarios

1. The streak of 1,000-yard rushers continues: Auburn has an eye-popping active streak. The Tigers have had a 1,000-yard running back in each of the past nine seasons, starting in 2009 when Ben Tate rushed for 1,362 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Can the Tigers make it 10 years in a row? With Kerryon Johnson and Kamryn Pettway gone, that remains to be seen.

In this dream scenario, a workhorse emerges. Whether that’s Kam Martin, Malik Miller, Asa Martin or someone else is to be determined. The older Martin was the team’s second leading rusher last season with 453 yards and 2 touchdowns, but that doesn’t automatically equate to a starting role, much less a starring one.

2. A Prince becomes a King: From a physical standpoint, Prince Tega Wanogho is everything you could want in a starting left tackle. He possesses elite size (6-7, 307) for a tackle in the SEC, and his background as a defensive lineman speaks volumes for his athleticism.

The problem is rawness as Wanogho was moved to offense prior to last season.

The Montgomery, Ala., native had an up and down season in 2017, but there’s reason for optimism as he heads into his second year as Jarrett Stidham’s blindside protector. If he can continue to make strides in his development, expect an All-SEC caliber season — or more.

3. Auburn evolves into road warriors: In case you hadn’t heard, Auburn was pretty good last season at home. The Tigers finished 7-0 while beating opponents by an average of 24.4 points. That included double-digit wins over No. 1 Georgia and No. 1 Alabama.

Away from Jordan-Hare was a different story, however.

They went 3-4, including back-to-back losses to Georgia and UCF in the postseason. It was not how the Tigers wanted to finish.

In this dream scenario, Auburn finds a way to take that dominance on the road with them. Considering they’ll be at Mississippi State, Georgia and Alabama, they’ll need it.

4. The back half of the defense catches up to the front four: Auburn’s defensive line is considered one of the best in the country. Guys such as Marlon Davidson and Derrick Brown are future NFL standouts.

It’s the back half that has questions.

Sure, they only lost Tre’ Williams at linebacker. But the secondary will be looking to replace both safeties (Tray Matthews and Stephen Roberts) and top cornerback Carlton Davis. Davis was a second-round pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2018 NFL Draft.

If players like Jamel Dean and Jeremiah Dinson perform, the Tigers could field a Top 20 defense for the second consecutive year.

5. Stidham emerges as a Heisman Trophy candidate: There are question marks along the offensive line, at wide receiver and at running back. One area where there isn’t a concern is at quarterback.

Stidham finished the season 3,311 total yards and 22 touchdowns, making him one of the top quarterbacks in the SEC. Now, it’s time for him to take that next step, to play well enough to end up in New York for the Heisman presentation.

This dream scenario would take a lot of pressure off the running backs.

Disaster scenarios

1. Offense misses Kerryon Johnson as much as we think they will: Kerryon Johnson led the SEC in rushing yards (1,391) and rushing touchdowns (18) while being the perfect complement to Stidham and the passing attack. There’s a reason he was voted the SEC’s Offensive Player of the Year.

But he’s now in the NFL.

Stidham should be more comfortable in Year 2, so obviously more can be put on his shoulders. With that said, Auburn needs the run game to still be successful if they want a shot at a second consecutive SEC West title.

2. Pass protection continues to be an issue: Auburn gave up 36 sacks last season. That ranks them No. 114 in the country and only one behind Florida (37) for the worst in the SEC.

As we’ve mentioned in previous articles, the Tigers also lost their two best offensive linemen (Braden Smith and Austin Golson) to graduation.

In case you aren’t putting two and two together, that is not an ideal situation. It would be a disaster for the line to continue to struggle keeping Stidham clean — especially with the uncertainty at running back.

3.  Toomer’s Corner only sees action at home games: Auburn can’t continue to struggle on the road. The schedule isn’t set up for it.

This team can compete for a Playoff spot if the right circumstances come together at the right time. One of those is becoming tougher on the road.

There are situations where fans are able to break out the toilet paper following road games. Winning in Athens or Tuscaloosa would prompt that sort of celebration.

4. The injury bug continues to plague the offense: Injuries were an issue in spring training. Two receivers, Eli Stove and Will Hastings, tore their ACLs.

That wasn’t all, though.

Stidham wasn’t 100 percent due to shoulder surgery, center Nick Brahms broke a bone in his leg and others were forced to play through minor, nagging injuries. All that combined to put a huge strain on the offense’s development. Offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey and company did do their best to make strides regardless, though.

Auburn hopes the injuries are done taking their toll.

5. Special teams create special moments for opponents: Auburn fans are accustomed to seeing magic from their special teams. There’s one moment — or second, if you will — in particular that comes to mind in 2013.

With that said, the coverage units on The Plains haven’t exactly been up to par recently. Ranking outside the top 100 on kickoff (No. 130 out of 130) and punt coverage (No. 109) creates a situation that opposing teams can take advantage of.

Auburn can’t afford to have these issues for a second year in a row. If they do, it could mean a special memory for another team’s fan base.