Following its 23-20 loss to the now No. 1 LSU Tigers this past Saturday in Death Valley, Auburn's chances of making its very first College Football Playoff have become very slim and the Tigers would need quite a bit of help to make the top four when the regular season comes to a close. However, there is still a lot to play for this season, including a New Year's Six bowl.
Which bowl game the Tigers play in depends on a variety of factors outside of their own performance. Their position in the conference standings at the end of the season, as well as how many SEC teams make the playoff, both directly affect where the Tigers will be traveling in the postseason.
According to most projections by experts, the Tigers will most likely finish the season at 8-4 and play in the Citrus or the Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day. Both of those bowl games are traditionally between an SEC team and a team from the Big Ten.
Auburn has gone 1-2 in its three Outback Bowl appearances, each game against a Big Ten opponent. Their most recent trip to the Outback Bowl came in 2015 when they lost 34-31 in overtime to the Wisconsin Badgers, led by Melvin Gordon. The Tigers have gone 1-1 in their two trips to the Citrus Bowl, with their most recent appearance coming in 2001 with a 31-28 loss to Michigan.
The Tigers potential opponents include currently undefeated Minnesota, No.14 Michigan and No.18 Wisconsin.
It is important to mention, however, that the majority of these projections also have LSU and Alabama in the College Football Playoff, which leaves more room for lower ranked SEC teams to reach higher level bowl games. If Auburn manages to win its last four games and have some chaos within the SEC, the Tigers could reach a New Year’s Six bowl game such as the Orange Bowl in Miami or the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
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