Since its inception in 2014, Auburn has yet to make the College Football Playoff. The Tigers’ closest call came in 2017 when a victory in the SEC Championship Game would have put them in the final four.
After eight seasons under Gus Malzahn, the Tigers are now led by Bryan Harsin while Malzahn landed a job at UCF, a perennial Group of Five power.
So, with that in mind, someone named Brian S. (and no, it wasn’t me) wrote into The Athletic’s ($) mailbag to ask who makes the playoff first between the Tigers and their old coach. Steward Mandel answered the question.
Fascinating question. Tough one to answer, though, given we don’t know when it’s going to start. Will Malzahn still be at UCF in 2026? Will Bryan Harsin still be at Auburn? Who the heck knows?
The safe bet, though, is Auburn, just because the Tigers are going to have more margin for error. For UCF to make the Playoff, it’s probably going to have to both win the AAC and, most years, be ranked higher than any of the other Group of 5 champions. Whereas Auburn could go 9-3, finish third in the SEC West and, depending on what that 9-3 looks like, make the CFP as an at-large team.
Over the past 40 years, Auburn has not gone more than four years without at least one nine-win season. The Tigers have been highly erratic and yet highly predictable. Whereas I can’t begin to predict what UCF’s trajectory will be under Malzahn.
Who knows, maybe a matchup between Auburn and a Malzahn-led UCF is in the future for the playoffs. That would be some storyline.