The Auburn Tigers were a long shot to go bowling this year with a 5-7 record, but any chance of an invite is now gone.
Brett McMurphy of Action Network reported on Thursday that the New Mexico State Aggies accepted a bowl waiver. The Aggies are a five-win team but have only lost six games. Its game against San Jose State was cancelled.
Because of this scenario, the last bowl spot will come down to Buffalo’s game against Akron on Friday at 1 p.m. Should Buffalo win, the Bulls would be 6-6 and be bowl eligible. Should the Akron Zips (2-9) win, however, the remaining spot would go to the UNLV Rebels.
However, had the Tigers been given a bowl waiver, it is unlikely they would have accepted. Brandon Marcello of 247Sports reported on Thursday that due to new coach Hugh Freeze parting ways with multiple members of the team’s staff, it stands to reason that Auburn wouldn’t have wanted to prepare for a bowl game with interim staff.
The Tigers will have to wait for their opening game against UMass and Hugh Freeze’s debut as Auburn’s head coach next year to play football again.
No bowl game for Auburn as a potential 5-7 invitee, though I'm told they were not going to accept one if offered. Staff changes with the interim coaches were already being made at Auburn and offices were being cleaned out Wednesday. https://t.co/to0GidmIy5
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) December 1, 2022
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