Editor’s note: Our 14-day annual Crystal Ball series continues with Auburn and the SEC West. Coming Thursday: LSU.

Welcome to 2019, when the coach who’s 18 months removed from signing a nearly $50 million contract is on every hot seat list in America.

It’s fair to say that Gus Malzahn’s 2018 was disappointing. After a year in which he beat Alabama and Georgia and put Auburn a game from the Playoff, a 3-5 conference record wasn’t exactly the return on investment that Tiger fans were hoping for.

Now as we turn to 2019, the question becomes what Malzahn can do to get the fan base back on his side. Is he due for another one of those magical Auburn years? Or has everyone caught up to his offense and passed him by?

It feels inevitable that we’ll get an answer to that question in 2019. He has a brutal schedule that’ll give him no place to hide. If Auburn is in the hunt for a division title going into the Iron Bowl, it’ll be quite the feat.

Let’s map out whether that’ll be on the table.

2018 record: 8-5 (3-5), 5th in SEC West

Gus is calling the shots

Gone is Chip Lindsey and back is Malzahn, the play-caller. We got a little sample of what that looked like in the Music City Bowl against Purdue, when Auburn probably could have hit the century mark had it kept its foot on the gas. There’s no guarantee that continues against better competition.

The interesting thing will be how much different the offense is. The expectation is those horrendous, long-developing jet sweeps will be a thing of the past. Using the quarterback as more of a true runner — and not just as some weird, fake decoy like Jarrett Stidham was — will be the identity of the offense. At least that’s what I’d assume.

Will this have shades of the Cam Newton days when Malzahn was calling the shots as a coordinator? That seems ambitious, but could there be some Nick Marshall flashbacks with whoever wins the starting job? I wouldn’t bet against that.

Malzahn had an offseason to build the offense he wants, which simply has to be better than it was last year.

The quarterback decision

By now, we know it’s going to come down to Joey Gatewood and Bo Nix. Both impressed in the spring game, and both make a lot of sense in Malzahn’s system. Oh, and both are technically freshmen (Gatewood a redshirt freshman and Nix a true freshman).

This decision is massive for Malzahn’s future, which isn’t lost on him. That’s why he had them participating in a full-contact scrimmage in the spring to try and simulate the best game atmosphere.

As excited as everyone is about Nix and understandably so, it would be a massive risk for Malzahn to put all his eggs in the basket of a true freshman from the jump. His quarterback depth would likely be gutted and he’d have to deal with the growing pains of a young, but talented quarterback.

I’m not sure Malzahn is in position to have a “roll with the punches” type season at the center of his offense. Then again, he doesn’t really have a choice when he’s considering 2 guys without a career start. My best guess? We see Gatewood start and Nix get significant reps in the opener. That would make the most sense.

Then again, I predicted post-spring that Malik Willis would not only win the job, but that was the No. 8 quarterback in the SEC. So take my prediction with a grain of salt.

The nation’s best defensive line?

I don’t hate it. Cole Cubelic came on our podcast and said that, and quite frankly, I don’t disagree with him.

Derrick Brown is the headliner, but it’s guys like Nick Coe and Marlon Davidson who make this arguably the best unit in America. Those 3 guys are all entering their fourth seasons, and all are proven playmakers. They had a combined 121 tackles, 28.5 tackles for loss and 15 sacks last year.

Here’s something that might not be talked about enough with this schedule. This group, plus a talented secondary, has the chance to lead Auburn through a tricky start to the season. I thought they were the difference in Auburn getting off to that ideal start against Washington last year.

Malzahn needs that group to be the best in America while his offense gets its rhythm.

Game-by-game predictions

Week 1: vs. Oregon* (W) (at Dallas)

I keep going back and forth on this game because I actually think Oregon is the more well-rounded team to start the season. Maybe it’s just the Pac-12 thing, but I can’t shake the feeling that this game has a similar feel to last year’s opener against Washington. All the eyes will be on Justin Herbert and Auburn’s new starting quarterback, but it’ll be the defenses who show up ready to roll. The Tigers get a huge, huge opening weekend win.

Week 2: vs. Tulane (W)

This would be the perfect time for Malzahn to really experiment with his quarterback situation. It definitely figures to be a game in which multiple Auburn signal-callers play. Shoot, we should see 3 if and when this one gets lopsided.

Week 3: vs. Kent State (W)

It’s a 2-win team from the MAC, yes. But it wouldn’t surprise me if Auburn came out flat. With that massive 3-game stretch following this one, this could be one of those sleepy starts at Jordan-Hare that takes something like a 80-yard Anthony Schwartz touchdown to wake up everyone (if he’s back and healthy). But a comfortable victory it becomes.

Week 4: at Texas A&M (W)

I fully expect the Aggies to be favored. But this winds up being a down-to-the-wire instant classic game. Maybe a Coe blocked kick — he does that so well — gives Auburn a monumental road victory. A win like this gets all sorts of buzz for the Tigers. Instead of Malzahn on the hot seat, suddenly we’re talking about whether Auburn is a top 5 team and having one of those magical seasons.

Week 5: vs. Mississippi State (W)

I worry a bit about MSU’s unproven passing game against that Auburn pass rush and secondary. This game could be one of those when the Bulldogs just continue to shoot themselves in the foot with turnovers and squander a chance to upend the unbeaten Tigers.

Week 6: at Florida (L)

In the third game of that demanding 3-week stretch, Auburn finally runs out of gas. A pair of close games heading into Gainesville finally catches up to Auburn. Todd Grantham’s defense gives Auburn’s young quarterback all sorts of problems and the Gators do enough offensively to end Auburn’s undefeated start.

Week 7: Bye

Week 8: at Arkansas (W)

The Gus Bowl! I wonder how Malzahn will be received in Fayetteville. Whatever the case, this winds up being a huge, huge day for his offense. Seth Williams and Boobie Whitlow go off for an Auburn team that’s eager to get the bad taste out of its mouth from the Florida game.

Week 9: at LSU (L)

There are 2 things LSU has that I really like in terms of matching up with Auburn. One is that Joe Burrow won’t be intimidated by that loaded Tigers front. We saw that last year. The other is that LSU has a coordinator in Dave Aranda who’s all sorts of capable of dialing up blitzes to confuse Auburn’s quarterback. That combination fuels LSU to its third consecutive Tiger Bowl win, and it all but squashes the possibility of Auburn getting to Atlanta.

Week 10: vs. Ole Miss (W)

If Auburn is going to have more emphasis on its ground game, that’s bad news for Ole Miss. Even if I think the Rebels will improve in stopping the run with new defensive coordinator Mike MacIntyre, it’s hard to see them going into Jordan-Hare and delivering what’d be a massive upset. Make it 4 consecutive against Ole Miss for Auburn.

Week 11: Bye

Week 12: vs. Georgia (W)

Not to brag, but in Georgia’s crystal ball last year, I predicted the lone loss coming at LSU. This year, I’m predicting that Georgia’s lone regular-season loss comes at Jordan-Hare, just as it did 2 years ago. This time, I don’t expect it to be the same type of blowout. There might not be a better SEC matchup than Georgia’s offensive line against Auburn’s defensive line, which will make this one super competitive. In yet another down-to-the-wire game for Auburn, a late Nix touchdown run puts it away to take down the unbeaten Dawgs.

Week 13: vs. Samford (W)

Tasty, tasty cupcake. With sprinkles? What kind of frosting? Maybe with a Reese’s on top? Those are my favorite kind of cupcakes.

Week 14: vs. Alabama (L)

My projections would have Auburn on the outside looking in for a West title. But what would be on the line for the Tigers in the Iron Bowl? Besides the usual stakes, there could be a New Year’s 6 Bowl berth up for grabs. Shoot, maybe Malzahn’s job will be on the line. Will that make a difference? Maybe, but Alabama is a much more powerful offensive unit than the one who Auburn saw 2 years ago at Jordan-Hare. That much is obvious. It’s by no means as lopsided as last year, but Tua Tagovailoa helps the Crimson Tide close an unbeaten regular season.

2019 projection: 9-3 (5-3, 3rd in SEC West)

#WarEagle

Some are looking at this as an all-or-nothing year for Malzahn. Like, his new-look offense will lead Auburn to a Playoff berth, or he’ll be out of a job by mid-October. I’m somewhere in the middle.

It wouldn’t surprise me if the Auburn administration had an extremely difficult decision to make at season’s end. My crystal ball would have impressive wins over Oregon, Georgia and A&M. If those wins hold up, we could be talking about Auburn in a New Year’s 6 Bowl with a chance to hit double-digit wins for the second time in 3 years. Coaches who do that usually aren’t fired.

And how much of it depends on the development at the quarterback position? A lot probably. If it looks like Auburn has something special with either Gatewood or Nix, you obviously risk losing them by pulling the trigger on firing Malzahn at season’s end.

If this year were to play out like that — Auburn would be worthy of a top 5 spot if it started 5-0 with potentially 3 Top 25 wins — then who knows if that raises expectations too high. It would still be a 4-3 finish after talk of a potential Playoff berth.

My guess is that we’re in for a wild season on The Plains.