Auburn’s bowl picture got a little sharper after Week 10, and the Tigers are now sitting one win away from punching their ticket back to the postseason.
After edging Arkansas 26-23, Auburn moved to 5-4 on the season. That leaves the Tigers needing just one more victory to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2023, and they still have three chances to get there.
The next one comes Saturday at Mississippi State, where Auburn enters as a one-score favorite according to BetMGM. The Bulldogs are on a five-game losing streak, and Auburn has historically handled them well.
If Auburn gets the job done this weekend, it would lock in the program’s best win total since 2023. And if the Tigers can beat both Mississippi State and Samford over the next two weeks, they would reach at least seven wins for the first time since the 2019 season, when Auburn finished with nine.
That possibility has national bowl projections leaning confidently toward Auburn making a return to the postseason. The exact destination still varies, but the general theme is clear: the Tigers are being slotted into games that would give them a shot at a solid Power Four opponent.
USA TODAY Sports’ Erick Smith has moved Auburn off the Birmingham Bowl and into the Texas Bowl, where he projects the Tigers to face Oklahoma State on New Year’s Eve at 6:30 p.m. CT at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. If that matchup holds, it would be the first football meeting between Auburn and Oklahoma State, and Auburn’s first appearance in the Texas Bowl.
ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach have kept their Auburn picks steady from last week. Bonagura has Auburn meeting USF in the Gasparilla Bowl for the fourth straight week, a matchup that would send Alex Golesh, Byrum Brown, and several other current Tigers back to Tampa to face their former team.
Schlabach, meanwhile, continues to project Auburn against Oklahoma State, but in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis. That one would also bring together Alex Golesh and Byrum Brown against Eric Morris and Drew Mestemaker in a former AAC head coach/quarterback battle.
CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford has Auburn in the Liberty Bowl as well, but with Baylor on the other sideline on Dec. 29 in Memphis. It would be a rematch no one would have to squint to recognize, since Auburn already beat Baylor in the Aflac Kickoff Game in Week 1. For Baylor, it would be a chance to answer that September loss.
Athlon Sports made one of the bigger changes in this week’s projections, bumping Auburn from the Gasparilla Bowl to the Liberty Bowl and replacing Virginia with West Virginia as the projected opponent. If that comes to pass, it would be the first Auburn-West Virginia meeting since 2009. Auburn won the last one in the infamous “rain game” at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
On3’s Brett McMurphy also changed course, sending Auburn to the Birmingham Bowl after previously pairing the Tigers with Cincinnati in the Liberty Bowl. This time, he has Auburn facing Illinois.
The Fighting Illini are 6-3 heading into Week 11, with No. 15 Iowa, No.
4 UCLA and Northwestern - which received votes in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll - still ahead on the schedule. That could make the matchup look different by the time Dec. 29 arrives.
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Auburn Gets A Timely Boost Before A Tricky SEC Road Test
Auburn got a useful lift on the injury front heading into a tricky SEC road test at Mississippi State, with Jeremiah Koger, Andre Jordan Jr. and Sylvester Smith-Reed all listed as active after sitting out the previous game. The Tigers also have linebacker Elijah Melendez cleared to play, which gives the defense a little more flexibility as it prepares for a Mississippi State team dealing with its own availability issues.
Bryce Deas remains out for the season after surgery, and DeMarcus Riddick is questionable, so Auburn is still not at full strength. Even so, the updated report is a welcome development before a conference trip where depth can matter, especially with Mississippi State down six players, including quarterback Kamario Taylor, while two defensive starters are listed as probable. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Just Landed An In-State Piece For A Bigger O-Line Push
Auburn added an important in-state building block to its offensive line push with the commitment of senior tackle Jatori Williams, a notable win for the coaching staff as it continues to stockpile size and depth up front. Williams, ranked No. 14 in Alabamas Best in Bama list, gives the Tigers another local name to point to in a class where line help remains a priority.
Williams has been a tackle in high school, but the expectation is that hell move inside to guard once he gets to college, a transition Auburn has been targeting as it looks for versatile pieces who can fit multiple spots. The commitment also fits into a broader recruiting picture that includes several other top-ranked prospects around the state, giving Auburn another chance to keep homegrown talent from leaving Alabama. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Faces An Early Proving Ground Against Arizona
Arizonas early nonconference slate has already offered a little bit of everything, and the next stop looks like the biggest test yet. After opening with a loss to UCLA, Arizona has steadied itself with wins over Cal Poly and Northern Arizona, but Auburn brings a different level of pressure into the matchup. The Tigers are unbeaten so far, and this game is shaping up as a meaningful measuring stick for both programs this early in the season.
For Auburn, it is another chance to reinforce the start it has built. For Arizona, it is an opportunity to show the loss to UCLA was only a brief stumble and that the group can handle a high-end opponent on the road to a stronger resume. The article points to key players and a few swing factors that could decide whether Arizona can rise to the challenge, which makes this one worth watching well beyond the usual early-season window. [Read more 🡒]