Final Auburn football bowl game projections after Iron Bowl loss
AUBURN — When Auburn football became bowl eligible with a win over top-10 Ole Miss on Oct. 30, the Tigers were one of six SEC teams to have earned that distinction at the time.
Throughout November, the rest of the league caught up while Auburn sat in place.
A season-ending four-game losing streak culminated with the most devastating defeat of all, a 24-22 four-overtime thriller in the Iron Bowl. No bowl game could possibly have higher stakes on the Plains, but Auburn (6-6, 3-5 SEC) now awaits its assignment, which should be announced Sunday after conference championship games.
A record 13 SEC teams are eligible with six wins, meaning the league's bowl affiliations are officially overbooked.
A reminder: It is now a certainty that three teams will make New Year's Six bowls, with Alabama's College Football Playoff entry earning Ole Miss (10-2, 6-2) a Sugar Bowl spot. An at-large bid to the Peach Bowl is unlikely for the league. After that, the Citrus Bowl selects the best remaining team, and what follows is a mix-and-match of six teams assigned to six games considered to be equal in pedigree. Then comes the lower tier of SEC affiliations, the Gasparilla and Birmingham bowls. That still leaves out the 13th team, which will end up in a wild card bowl.
Auburn is one of five 6-6 teams in the league, so the options are endless. Here are the final projections — including one from Auburn beat writer Bennett Durando, who takes a stab at SEC bowl picks.
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Action Sports Network's Brett McMurphy: Birmingham Bowl vs. SMU (11 a.m. Dec. 28, Birmingham)
CBS Sports' Jerry Palm: Liberty Bowl vs. Texas Tech (5:45 p.m. Dec. 28, Memphis, Tennessee)
ESPN's Kyle Bonagura: Texas Bowl vs. Kansas State (TBD Jan. 4, Houston)
ESPN's Mark Schlabach: Music City Bowl vs. Purdue (2 p.m. Dec. 30, Nashville)
247Sports' Brad Crawford: Duke's Mayo Bowl vs. North Carolina (10:30 a.m. Dec. 30, Charlotte, North Carolina)
The Athletic's Stewart Mandel: Liberty Bowl vs. Texas Tech (5:45 p.m. Dec. 28, Memphis, Tennessee)
Sports Illustrated's Richard Johnson: Music City Bowl vs. Maryland (2 p.m. Dec. 30, Nashville)
College Football News: Music City Bowl vs. Purdue (2 p.m. Dec. 30, Nashville)
Pro Football Network's Cam Mellor: Liberty Bowl vs. Texas Tech (5:45 p.m. Dec. 28, Memphis, Tennessee)
Athlon Sports' Steven Lassan: Duke's Mayo Bowl vs. Virginia (10:30 a.m. Dec. 30, Charlotte, North Carolina)
Saturday Down South's Jim Tomlin: Birmingham Bowl vs. SMU (11 a.m. Dec. 28, Birmingham)
Montgomery Advertiser's Bennett Durando: Liberty Bowl vs. Iowa State (5:45 p.m. Dec. 28, Memphis, Tennessee)
Durando's SEC bowl predictions
SEC West
Alabama: Cotton Bowl (College Football Playoff)
Ole Miss: Sugar Bowl (New Year's Six)
Arkansas: Outback Bowl
Texas A&M: Gator Bowl
Mississippi State: Texas Bowl
Auburn: Liberty Bowl
LSU: Independence Bowl (wild card)
SEC East
Georgia: Orange Bowl (College Football Playoff)
Kentucky: Citrus Bowl
Tennessee: Music City Bowl
Missouri: Birmingham Bowl
South Carolina: Duke's Mayo Bowl
Florida: Gasparilla Bowl
Vanderbilt: Try again next year.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football bowl game projections after Iron Bowl loss
