Auburn appears across latest bowl projections

Auburn’s win over Arkansas moved the Tigers to 5-4 and put postseason eligibility within reach as they prepare for a road game against Mississippi State. Samford follows on the schedule, and Auburn needs to reach six wins to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2023.

The current projections place Auburn in Memphis, Tampa or Birmingham. CBS projects the Tigers to face Baylor in the Liberty Bowl on Jan. 2, while ESPN’s Mark Schlabach also picks the Liberty Bowl but has Oklahoma State as the opponent. Athlon Sports sends Auburn to the same game against West Virginia.

ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura projects a meeting with South Florida in the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa on Dec. 18. On3 pairs Auburn with Illinois in the Birmingham Bowl on Dec. 29, while Sports Illustrated projects the Tigers to face Texas State in that game.

Auburn is out of the College Football Playoff discussion with four losses, so the remaining postseason question centers on bowl eligibility and destination. After missing the postseason the past two seasons, Auburn could return to a bowl in Alex Golesh’s first season.

Golesh reached a bowl in each of his three seasons as South Florida’s head coach. His record in bowl games as a head coach is 2-0 because he left for Auburn before South Florida lost to Old Dominion in last year’s Cure Bowl.

Auburn’s last bowl followed Hugh Freeze’s debut in 2023. The Tigers lost 31-13 to Maryland in the Music City Bowl and have dropped their past four bowl games. Their latest postseason victory was a 63-14 win over Purdue in the 2018 Music City Bowl.

Why it matters

A bowl berth would mark Auburn’s first postseason eligibility since 2023 and progress in the first season under Alex Golesh. It would also give the Tigers a chance to end a four-game bowl losing streak.

What to watch next

Auburn visits Mississippi State in Game 10 before facing Samford.