Flipping through college football content at the local magazine rack this week, one preseason item of note jumped off the pages of every SEC-centric issue — the hype surrounding Auburn first-year starting quarterback Jeremy Johnson.

It’s a bit overwhelming to say the least.

His Tigers are ranked inside the Top 5 in most preseason polls as the SEC favorite, showered with love despite an abrupt fall from grace as the defending league champs last fall with four losses over their final five games.

Much of that has to do with the acquisition of Will Muschamp who will inject some flavor into the Auburn defense, but national relevancy hinges on quarterback play, as it often does.

Our own in-house Heisman expert has labeled Johnson as the SEC’s odds-on favorite (sorry, Dak) and even I ranked Auburn’s most important player at the top of the “guys the league can’t afford to lose” list.

But let’s take a step back and let the first quarter of the season unfold before Johnson’s granted access to conversations of greatness.

As of now, Nick Marshall’s replacement in Auburn’s run-oriented offense has thrown for 858 yards and nine touchdowns in 11 career appearances with a completion rate at 73 percent. Those numbers are commendable for any No. 2, no matter the level of football, but only 363 of those yards and two touchdowns have come against SEC competition.

We’re only giddy because of limited game film, an impressive spring game performance and Gus Malzahn’s track record with quarterbacks. He spits out total offense machines at the position at a rapid rate, most notably former No. 1 pick and 2010 Heisman winner Cam Newton.

Johnson is not Newton and while it’s unfair to make the comparison (at this point), there are similarities. His size at 6-foot-5, 250 pounds is near identical, Johnson poses a serious threat down the field with a big arm and reportedly runs a 4.5.

The gaudy statistics will be there for Johnson (they always are in Malzahn-coached offenses), but will inflated numbers be enough to finish in the Top 10 as a national title contender which has become synonymous with a Heisman invite?

The good news is, despite the lofty expectations and immense pressure, first-year starters at the position have won four of the last six SEC Championships dating back to Alabama’s Greg McElroy in 2009. Furthermore on a national scale, five of the last six champions have benefited from a rookie starter.

Johnson appears to be as talented as several of those players, including Marshall and Blake Sims. Newton’s Heisman run didn’t kick into high gear until October and that’s why I feel it’s important for Johnson to develop within Malzahn’s scheme over the first four weeks, ironing out any weaknesses in his game.

The only problem there is two of those games come against LSU and Mississippi State, where the margin for error will be slim. Lose both and not only is the Johnson hype over, but so is Auburn’s shot at a noteworthy season.

My offseason memory is somewhat cloudy compared to the meaningful ‘real football’ months during the SEC’s reign over the previous BCS era, but I can’t remember a league quarterback who has received as much praise as Johnson heading into his first season.

I hope he can handle it.