Auburn has high hopes. It rests on Stephenville’s Jarrett Stidham’s arm.

College football is right around the corner and the Star-Telegram is bringing you its Top 25 teams going into the season.

Today we look at No. 9 – Auburn.

Top 25 to date

LSU (25); Texas (24); Central Florida (23); Oregon (22); Florida State (21); Boise State (20); USC (19); Mississippi State (18); Michigan (17); Virginia Tech (16); TCU (15); Notre Dame (14); West Virginia (13); Stanford (12); Michigan State (11); Miami (10).

Nuts and bolts

Location: Auburn, Alabama

Coach: Gus Malzahn (45-22, five seasons at Auburn; 54-25 overall at Arkansas State and Auburn)

2017: 10-4, 7-1 in SEC (lost to UCF 34-27 in Peach Bowl)

Last league title: 2013

Three things to know

1. Stidham’s ceiling. Quarterback Jarrett Stidham, the Stephenville sensation who started his college career at Baylor, is coming off an impressive first season as Auburn’s quarterback. He completed 66.5 percent of his passes for 3,158 yards with 18 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Stidham returns his top receiver, too, in Ryan Davis. Davis had 84 catches for 815 yards and five touchdowns last season. The Tigers lost top running back Kerryon Johnson, who is now with the Detroit Lions, but Kam Martin flashed by averaging 6.1 yards a carry last season.

2. O-line questions. The Tigers appear to have the skill players to get it done on offense, but the biggest question is the line. Four starters from last season’s 10-win team are gone.

But there is hope. Prince Tega Wanogho is a projectable left tackle, and Jake Driscoll – who started 20 games at UMass – is in line to be the right tackle.

3. Defensive matters. The O-line may have questions. The D-line doesn’t.

Auburn’s defensive line is expected to be among the best in the country. Marlon Davidson, Derrick Brown and Dontavius Russell all had three sacks last season and all have NFL potential.

At linebacker, leading tackler Deshaun Davis returns.

Three games to watch

1. Sept. 1 vs. Washington (Atlanta, Georgia). This is a matchup between two top-10 teams that could carry weight throughout the season.

2. Sept. 15 vs. LSU. Put money on the Tigers. A year ago, LSU stunned Auburn.

3. Nov. 24 at Alabama. The Iron Bowl is one of the great rivalries in the sport. Auburn won last year, and will be eyeing a win on the road.