After missing out on bowl season last year, the Auburn Tigers are poised to make another run at postseason play.
What is a realistic expectation for the Tigers postseason fate? ESPN experts Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach expect Auburn to meet up with an ACC team at season’s end, but in two different destinations. Bonagura and Schlabach project the Tigers to face Boston College in postseason play, however, Bonagura has the Tigers and Eagles facing off in the Gasparilla Bowl on Friday, Dec. 19 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, while Schlabach forecasts Auburn facing Boston College closer to home in the Birmingham Bowl on Monday, Dec. 29.
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If this forecasted matchup were to take place, it would be a game against teams that are projected to barely cross the threshold into bowl eligibility. According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, Auburn is projected to win 6.9 games while Boston College sits at 5.9. However, the two teams are on opposite paths in terms of postseason forecasts. Auburn has an 83.6% chance to win six games while Boston College has a 58.7% chance. For playoff consideration, Auburn has a 12% chance while Boston College has a less than 1% chance.
Auburn football has lost seven games in each of the last four seasons, but the program is even more starved for a bowl win. The last bowl win the Tigers earned was in the 2018 season when Auburn boat raced Purdue in the Music City Bowl, 63-14. Since then, Auburn has lost four-straight postseason games, including its most recent game against Maryland in the 2023 Music City Bowl.
The SEC is projected to be well represented in postseason play. ESPN’s FPI gives 13 of 16 SEC teams at least 60% odds to reach the six wins needed to earn bowl eligibility, nine teams have 30% or greater odds to make the College Football Playoff, and three teams have at least an 11% chance to win the College Football National Championship.
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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: ESPN pairs Auburn with Boston College in preseason bowl forecast
