After a disappointing loss against Texas A&M, Auburn’s bowl game options narrow.
After the loss, the Tigers are 5-4 with their last remaining game to be played on December 12 at Mississippi State.
Alabama has clinched the SEC West and will play Florida in the SEC Championship game.. They are currently 9-0 with their remaining away at Arkansas. Winning those two games would book the Tide a ticket to the playoffs.
Currently second in the SEC West, 7-1 Texas A&M will finish off their season away at Ole Miss and home against Tennessee. If the Aggies win out, they will almost definitely end the season ranked 5th overall and head to the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic for the 14th time. Their last appearance was in 2013 where they beat Oklahoma 41-13.
Auburn has the potential to finish the season with the best record in the SEC for an unranked team, falling behind Alabama, Texas A&M, Florida, and Georgia. The Tigers win over Ole Miss would keep them ahead if both teams finished 5-5.
Regardless of their next game, Auburn seems positioned to travel to Orlando for the Vrbo Citrus Bowl making them the first unranked team to do so since Michigan in 2008. The Tigers have made five appearances and last won in 2003 against Penn State.
Gus Malzahn’s team would be facing Big Ten opposition, whom he has a 1-2 record against as Auburn’s head coach. Likely candidates include Northwestern and Indiana.
