Quite some time has passed since Auburn football last competed in a postseason game. However, one publication is optimistic that the Tigers will return to a bowl game in 2026.
Athlon Sports predicts 12 teams from the SEC to reach the postseason in 2026, including the Auburn Tigers. The publication’s preseason magazine shows the Tigers earning a Liberty Bowl bid, matching up with the Kansas State Wildcats at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis.
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If this prediction comes true, it will mark the first time since the 2023 season that Auburn has earned a bowl bid. The last time the Auburn Tigers took the field in a postseason game was on Dec. 30, 2023, in the Music City Bowl, where Auburn lost 31-13 to Maryland. The Tigers last won a bowl game in 2018 by defeating Purdue in the Music City Bowl, 63-14, a stretch of four bowl appearances.
Auburn is 4-0 all-time against its projected bowl opponent, Kansas State. The Tigers and Wildcats played a home-and-home series that started in 2007, with Auburn winning the first game, 23-13, inside Jordan-Hare Stadium. The series ended in 2014 in Manhattan, Kansas, with Auburn winning, 20-14.
Auburn begins a new era in 2026 with Auburn head coach Alex Golesh leading the charge. He will look to end Auburn’s seven-loss streak at four seasons, and a bowl appearance will be a good indicator of a positive trajectory for the Tigers.
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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Athlon Sports predicts Auburn to face Kansas State in Liberty Bowl
