Auburn enters its fifth year under head coach Gus Malzahn looking to improve upon its 8-5 record from a year ago. The Tigers hope to build upon a promising defense that turned out to be the team's strength in 2016, and the offense has high expectations under first-year coordinator Chip Lindsey and his revamped scheme that will expand the passing game.

Which 10 members of the 2017 team will prove to be the difference between a successful season or a disappointing one? AL.com delves into the topic as it unveils Auburn's 10 MVPs for the 2017 season.

1. Jarrett Stidham, quarterback

Was there ever a doubt?

Beyond the fact that quarterback is the most important position in sports, the addition of Jarrett Stidham is what has changed the perception of Auburn heading into the 2017 season and already has the Heisman odds for the former Baylor signal caller climbing.

Stidham brings a skill set that Auburn hasn't had at the quarterback position in a long time, perhaps since 2010 with Cam Newton. While Nick Marshall also had a big arm, Stidham is far more polished and accurate across the field.

"You build your team around the strength of your players and if Jarrett's our starter, he's pretty good throwing the ball down the field," offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey said. "So you like your chances there."

His four 30-plus yard passes on A-Day, including bombs of 46 and 50-yards, showed he's a more gifted passer than Sean White, who may or may not have been in the top 10 countdown had Stidham not joined the program because the offense would likely still have been run-first.

That's not going to be the case with Stidham, who will play a big role in bringing along a young and unproven receiver corps to improve a passing game that was the worst ever for a Gus Malzahn offense last season.

With Chip Lindsey running the offense, how Stidham develops will dictate whether Auburn can compete for an SEC West title and more this season.

While his statistics at Baylor in 2015 were eye catching, his success was in a limited sample against very poor pass defenses.

Clemson will serve as a major early test of where Auburn's offense is under Stidham, who technically still needs to be named the starter but it's widely considered a formality. The middle of the schedule should define the season, with seven straight SEC games against Missouri, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, LSU, Arkansas, Texas A&M and Georgia.

If Stidham is consistent and proves capable of making week-to-week adjustments against those secondaries and defensive coordinators, there is no limit to where Auburn's season could end. If not, Auburn will need to fight to prevent from sliding back from its second place finish in the SEC West a year ago.