Auburn football: Ranking Tigers’ projected bowl opponents

#5 projected Auburn football bowl opponent: Iowa State

Iowa State came into the season with great expectations, but an ‘El Assico’ loss to Iowa, followed by Big 12 losses to Baylor, West Virginia, and Texas Tech have knocked the Cyclones out of conference title contention.

Their situation isn’t too dissimilar to AU, and they even share the same record, but you’d never hear Bryan Harsin say something like this:

So all things considered, a matchup would be somewhat even, but Iowa State is far from a sexy program right now.

#4 projected Auburn football bowl opponent: North Carolina

UNC has underperformed in 2021 by and large, losing the season opener as a favorite against Virginia Tech and then losing by more than three touchdowns against Georgia Tech in their first three weeks. All hope was officially lost when they dropped a Week 6 matchup to Florida State.

While they have recovered with shootout wins over Miami and an undefeated Wake Forest, the Tar Heels only offer intrigue as a bowl opponent because of the potential for an NFL-bound Sam Howell showcase.

#3 projected Auburn football bowl opponent: NC State

NC State is hanging on at the bottom of the AP Top 25 after a close loss to Wake Forest, but we’d be having a much different conversation if the Wolfpack didn’t slip up against both Mississippi State and Miami in games they were favored in.

NC State could still steal the ACC Atlantic if they can win out and Clemson could knock off Wake Forest given their head-to-head lead over the Tigers, but more than likely they’ll be in a position to play Auburn in a bowl game they’d figure to be favored in.