Auburn football's latest bowl projections following upset win over UGA

The Auburn Tigers earned their fourth win of the season last week by beating No. 1 Georgia on the road and are now in a great position to earn a bowl bid for the first time in three seasons.

Auburn needs just two more wins to become bowl eligible, and ESPN expects the Tigers to reach that goal. The latest ESPN Football Power Index update predicts Auburn to beat Arkansas, Mississippi State, and Samford in November, setting Auburn up to finish 7-5 and earn a respectable bowl invite.

Auburn's stock is rising in the latest national bowl forecasts after their upset win over Georgia. Several publications, including USA TODAY and ESPN, remain confident Auburn will earn bowl eligibility; however, the bar remains low for the Tigers to earn a College Football Playoff spot, or even a spot in a sunny Florida bowl game. However, a win over No. 17 LSU on Saturday will undoubtedly change Auburn's postseason trajectory.

Here is a look at Auburn football's latest bowl projections ahead of this weekend's college football action.

USA TODAY Sports

Even though Auburn is on track to earn a postseason bid, USA TODAY's Erick Smith does not expect the Tigers to play in a big-name bowl game. Smith sticks with his prediction of Auburn vs. Memphis in the Birmingham Bowl this week. Memphis is 5-2 after losing to Tulane last week, and hopes to bounce back on Thursday against ECU.

ESPN

One ESPN expert shakes up his forecast for Auburn's bowl destination while another sticks with last week's pick. Mark Schlabach remains confident that Auburn will face NC State in the Birmingham Bowl on Dec. 29. The Wolfpack is 3-3 entering this weekend's game at Stanford, and has notable games remaining against California, Duke, Florida State, and North Carolina.

Kyle Bonagura has changed his Birmingham Bowl vs. Tulane prediction to a Gasparilla Bowl pick against the USF Bulls. On paper, the matchup will not raise eyebrows. However, the possibility of Alex Golesh, Byrum Brown, Keshaun Singleton, Chas Nimrod, and so many others facing their former team in a bowl game would be entertaining.

CBS Sports

Brad Crawford of CBS Sports has opened the door for Auburn to play in a quality bowl game one week after leaving the Tigers out of his weekly bowl projections. Crawford pairs Auburn with Wisconsin in his latest bowl outlook, sending the Tigers and the Badgers to the Music City Bowl in Nashville, the site of Auburn's most recent bowl trip. Auburn and Wisconsin have met four times; three were in bowl settings. The last game between the Tigers and Badgers was the 2015 Outback Bowl, with Wisconsin winning, 34-31.

Athlon Sports

Steven Lassan of Athlon Sports joins CBS Sports' Brad Crawford in believing in the Auburn Tigers again. Auburn returns to Athlon Sports' bowl outlook after a two-week hiatus and is slated to play Cincinnati in the Independence Bowl on Dec. 22. Auburn has played in the game located in Shreveport, Louisiana only once. The Tigers downed Army, 32-29, in the 1996 Independence Bowl.

On3

Anyone up for another Birmingham Bowl prediction? Because On3's Brett McMurphy has what you need. McMurphy predicts Auburn to stay in its home state this postseason and face TCU in the Birmingham Bowl on Dec. 29.

Pat Sullivan is a common factor between the two programs. Sullivan won the Heisman Trophy in 1971 as Auburn's quarterback. He was also TCU's head football coach from 1992-97. If this prediction becomes a reality, these two teams would play in Sullivan's hometown of Birmingham.

Taylor Jones is the lead writer for Auburn Wire, part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) and BlueSky. Follow Auburn Wire on X and Facebook.

This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Auburn football's latest bowl projections following upset win over UGA