Enlarge By Mike Zarrilli, Getty Images Quarterback Cam Newton has taken a liking to Auburn's offense. He will lead the Tigers against LSU on Saturday.

The 6-6, 250-pound dual-threat quarterback has elevated his new team into the SEC and national title pictures and himself into the Heisman Trophy discussion. A natural fit in offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn's spread attack, Newton leads the SEC in rushing, total offense and passing efficiency. He has 13 touchdown passes and 12 on the ground, accounting for 21.43 points a game, tops in the nation.

"It's a day-to-day learning process," he says of the complex scheme. "I can't just reach a goal, a pinnacle that says I've got the offense. You just study and come up with new plays to attack the defense.

"As far as the Heisman talk is concerned ... I just try to plug my ears to that," he says. "As far as me getting prepared for this upcoming game, I think that's more important."

That would be Saturday's huge clash with No. 6 LSU that will leave one unbeaten in the SEC.

"They have talent in all phases of that offense, but Cam Newton makes it work," LSU coach Les Miles says. "He has speed and size, runs hard, is very competitive, and he just seems to make good decisions with the ball in his hand, whether it is to throw or when to run."

By his own admission, Newton's decisions without the ball weren't always the best, and a year ago he wasn't sure where he'd be playing. But he's glad he chose Auburn in his second trip through the recruiting process.

"It was just the family atmosphere," he says. "There was just something special about this place."

His circuitous road to the Plains from his hometown of College Park, Ga., began at Florida, where he was positioned to be Tim Tebow's heir apparent. An ankle injury had him on course for a medical redshirt in his second season in Gainesville. Then in November 2008, he was in possession of a laptop that turned out to be stolen and wound up facing burglary charges. A pretrial diversion program got the charges dismissed, and Gators coach Urban Meyer allowed him to complete the semester. But his playing future at Florida appeared uncertain, and Tebow's decision to return for his senior year convinced Newton that a transfer was in order.

"I think I was left with no choice but to leave," he says. "I wasn't going to get a chance to play, and that was another year washed down the drain."

Newton says he took his father's advice and went the junior college route rather than sit out a full season by transferring directly to another Football Bowl Subdivision school. He led Blinn (Texas) to an 11-1 record and the 2009 national junior college title, passing for 2,833 yards and 22 TDs and rushing for 16 scores.

"That was a humbling experience," Newton says. "I go from the University of Florida, where I can get Gatorade at my beck and call, to a place where you have to help paint your stadium stands. ... I have no regrets about the road I took. The only regret I have is that people stereotype my situation as a negative situation. As an athlete, you have to take the good with the bad. I learned a lot during my tenure at Florida. I wouldn't say it was a waste. Everybody's road's going to be different."

He is well aware that facing LSU's defense, which ranks first in the SEC and third nationally allowing 242 yards a game, will be a challenge. "They're a very physical team, and they have some elite players that will one day play in the NFL," Newton says. "We're going to have to come out and put our best foot forward. You just can't get excited about the big games. You have to approach them all the same way, because in the SEC the better-prepared team will win."