Auburn football projected to face Virginia in 2022 Gasparilla Bowl

Auburn football may or may not qualify for a bowl game after the 2022 season.

Looking at their schedule, you’d like to think that September is 3-1 at worst with a chance of 4-0 at home.

Realistically, though, this year’s gauntlet in the SEC West will be even more difficult than usual considering the usual suspect powerhouses (Alabama, Georgia) being joined by a Texas A&M team projected to push for a College Football Playoff spot.

The Aggies are one of the Tigers’ home games, and along with Arkansas and LSU, may push AU to the brink at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Let’s assume that Bryan Harsin’s improved culture in 2022 does get Auburn to at least six wins, though. 247Sports is.

In that scenario, the Virginia Cavaliers are projected to be the opponent for Auburn football during this upcoming bowl season:

"Gasparilla BowlProjected matchup: Auburn vs. VirginiaWill either of these teams get to six wins this season? That’s tough to answer at this point. Auburn is a bit of an unknown heading into Bryan Harsin’s second season after the 2021 campaign ended in a losing streak and was followed by a tumultuous multi-month period of uncertainty. Virginia and first-year coach Tony Elliott are led by quarterback Brennan Armstrong, who is one of the nation’s most underrated players."

Auburn football would be settling a beef that started on the hardwood

Tiger fans don’t have positive associations with UVA due to a Kyle Guy phantom 3-pointer foul call and double-dribble non-call on Ty Jerome in the closing seconds of Auburn-Virginia in the 2019 Final Four. 

This matchup would bring two heated fanbases to Tampa, Florida in what would be a battle of modest Power Five finishes.

It’s not exactly the step forward Tiger fans want, but it’d be better than missing bowl season altogether. It’d undoubtedly be the end of the Bryan Harsin era on the Plains in that case.