After finishing the season 6-6 and losing all of their games in the month of November, no one was surprised to see Auburn football playing in this year’s Birmingham Bowl. Despite the Cougars’ second-place finish in the American Athletic Conference, the Tigers have been named early favorites against Houston.
While winning the bowl game will be vital for first-year head coach Bryan Harsin to end on a positive note, there are several other storylines floating around the Auburn football community that are just as important as getting another win.
Between injuries, graduation, and the transfer portal, which players could we have already seen the last of before Birmingham? With Bo Nix still benched due to a broken ankle, who will line up as QB1 against the Cougars? Will we finally see Dee Davis take some snaps?
Will Auburn football ever hire an offensive coordinator?
Read on to find out all you need to know surrounding the Tigers’ December bowl game.
Storyline #1: Which Auburn football players have we seen the last of?
One of the biggest hits the Tigers will take on gameday is playing without starting center Nick Brahms. The fifth-year will miss the bowl game after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee earlier this month. Brahms and many other seniors are still making decisions on whether or not to utilize their extra year of eligibility granted to them due to the pandemic.
With Bo Nix transfer rumors floating around and no concrete information being released by the quarterback himself on his future on the Plains, it’s possible that Auburn football fans may have seen the last of Nix in the orange and blue. Another name to watch could be star running back Tank Bigsby, who was also rumored to be looking into transfer options.
Whether making decisions about transferring or playing an extra year, it’s likely that player decisions will come after the Tigers have made an official hire for the offensive coordinator.