As the first week of college football looms closer, bowl projections have been ramping up. Although some experts don’t even have the Tigers making a bowl game, others disagree.
The Athletic released a new bowl projection on the heels of Week 1 (subscription required), and they do have Auburn making a bowl game. The list has the Tigers playing last year’s four seed in the College Football Playoff, the Cincinnati Bearcats.
Tigers fans likely have bad memories of last year’s Birmingham Bowl game, where Auburn also faced off against an AAC team — the Houston Cougars, who defeated the Tigers 17-13 in that contest. The Bearcats were a much more formidable team last year, however, and such a matchup would certainly be a test for Auburn despite the difference from the Power 5 to the Group of 5. Of course, though, the Tigers will be aiming to go to a much more prestigious bowl game after the regular season.
However, Auburn making a bowl game would be contrary to the opinions of some. With all the chaos surrounding the offseason and coach [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] and the recent controversy of naming quarterback T.J. Finley as starter, the Tigers have much to prove as their Sept. 3 season opener against Mercer looms in the distance.
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