The first round of CFP rankings is officially out, placing Auburn football at #13 before the Tigers’ last four games. Auburn is one of seven SEC teams to make the selection committee’s top 25, and they’re the third most highly ranked of those teams after #1 Georgia and #2 Alabama.
Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Kentucky also made the cut, though many Aggie fans were upset that their ranking didn’t reflect their win over Alabama. It’s hard to find people that aren’t annoyed over Alabama being ranked #2.
With tentative CFP rankings come tentative bowl projections, and BowlSeason.com’s game assignment for Auburn football has a chance to give fans deja vu. The Tigers are projected to go up against the Oklahoma Sooners in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day 2022.
https://t.co/DNpIQoC32k has released its bowl projections following last night's CFP rankings. pic.twitter.com/pdrEgNqVg8
— Josh Furlong (@JFurKSL) November 3, 2021
Auburn football’s last appearance in the Allstate Sugar Bowl was in 2017, when they played–you guessed it–the Oklahoma Sooners. Oh, 2017. One of the best and worst years for the Tigers in recent history. Auburn managed to beat Georgia in the regular season but lost to the Dawgs in the SEC Championship, and then blew it in the Sugar Bowl.
History could repeat itself in some ways. First, the Tigers could once again find themselves playing the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship. They would probably have to lose that game to get the rematch with the Sooners because if they won the conference title there’s a good chance we could see Auburn football in the College Football Playoffs.
Of course, it’s also possible that Auburn still plays in the Sugar Bowl without competing for the SEC championship. There’s a lot of football left in the season, and the Tigers still have to face #13 Texas A&M and #3 Alabama in addition to Mississippi State and South Carolina before heading to Atlanta becomes a reality.