Auburn’s regular season is in the books, culminating Saturday with another classic Iron Bowl at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Tigers lost to the Tide, 24-22, in four overtimes -- the first edition of the rivalry to require extra time -- after a late 10-0 lead slipped away.
That dropped Auburn to 6-6 in Year 1 under Bryan Harsin, with the Tigers finishing the season on a four-game losing streak that included three straight losses in which they blew double-digit leads against Mississippi State, South Carolina and Alabama. Once in contention for the SEC West title as the calendar flipped from October to November, Auburn finished the regular season sixth in division, holding the head-to-head tiebreaker against LSU to avoid a spot in the basement.
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While Harsin and Auburn are far from satisfied with a .500 mark in the regular season, the 2021 campaign is not over. A bowl game is still on the horizon for Auburn, and the Tigers should find out their postseason destination and opponent before the end of the week.
With conference championship games still to be played, here’s a look at the latest bowl projections for Auburn upon the completion of its regular-season schedule:
-- Music City Bowl vs. Purdue, 2 p.m. CT, Dec. 30 in Nashville, Tenn. (ESPN)
-- Texas Bowl vs. Kansas State, TBD, Jan. 4 in Houston (ESPN)
-- Liberty Bowl vs. Texas Tech, 5:45 p.m., Dec. 28 in Memphis, Tenn. (CBS Sports)
-- Music City Bowl vs. Purdue, 2 p.m., Dec. 30 in Nashville (Yahoo Sports)
-- Duke’s Mayo Bowl vs. North Carolina, 10:30 a.m., Dec. 30 in Charlotte, N.C. (247Sports)
-- Duke’s Mayo Bowl vs. Virginia, 10: a.m., Dec. 30 in Charlotte (Athlon Sports)
-- Music City Bowl vs. Maryland, 2 p.m., Dec. 30 in Nashville (Sports Illustrated)
-- Liberty Bowl vs Texas Tech, 5:45 p.m., Dec. 28 in Memphis (The Athletic)
-- Birmingham Bowl vs. Louisville, 11 a.m., Dec. 28 in Birmingham (Action Network)
Most common projected bowl game: Music City Bowl, Dec. 30 in Nashville.
Most common projected opponent: Texas Tech and Purdue (two times each)
Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.