The last two seasons have been arduous for the Auburn Tigers.
After starting 6-2 in 2021, Auburn dropped four straight games to keep their bowl eligibility. That season would end with a 17-13 loss to Houston in the Birmingham Bowl, which would bring Auburn’s record to a 6-7 mark.
Then, last season, Auburn failed to make a bowl for the first time since 2012 after finishing with a 5-7 record.
Auburn has hired [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag], and his work to this point has Auburn fans believing that the program will make great strides toward becoming a contender for the SEC West crown in the next several seasons. College football experts across the country see the Tigers making those improvements as well.
CBS Sports writer David Cobb recently listed the ten teams that have the best chance to return to bowl season after missing the mark in 2022. Auburn cut, and was placed in the “seems likely” category alongside Michigan State and FAU.
Cobb says that Auburn’s schedule works out in its favor.
The last time Auburn failed to reach a bowl in consecutive seasons was 1998 and 1999. It could be close, but the Tigers ought to reach six wins in coach Hugh Freeze’s first season. Instead of playing Penn State as their Power Five nonconference foe like last season, the Tigers face a weak Cal program. With Vanderbilt on the schedule as Auburn’s rotating cross-division opponent, there’s a chance the Tigers could reach bowl eligibility with a mere 1-5 mark against SEC West competition.
As part of this list, Cobb says that Texas A&M, Miami, and Appalachian State have the best chance to return to bowl season, while programs such as Iowa State, Nebraska, and Arizona will need to catch a lucky break or two to earn the magic sixth win needed to become bowl eligible.
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