Bowl projections: Where Auburn is forecasted to play ahead of Week 9

Auburn football recently suffered a 38-17 defeat to No. 13 LSU in Jordan-Hare Stadium, but the Tigers remain on track to earn their first bowl bid since 2023. The team's final October game is set for Saturday against No. 12 Ole Miss, followed by three favorable matches against Arkansas, Mississippi State, and Samford before facing No. 10 Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

An upset in Oxford remains a possibility, but a three-game winning streak in November, where Auburn is favored, could propel them to their best win total since 2019. According to updated bowl projections, experts across the country believe Auburn can achieve this milestone. Here are the latest bowl projections for Auburn football ahead of Week 9.

USA TODAY Sports' Erick Smith remains confident in Auburn's matchup against Memphis in the Birmingham Bowl for the third consecutive week. While Memphis leads the all-time series 2-1, Auburn won the last meeting in the 2015 Birmingham Bowl with a score of 31-10. ESPN's Kyle Bonagura keeps his pick for the second week in a row, projecting Auburn to face USF in the Gasparilla Bowl, offering a chance for players like Alex Golesh, Byrum Brown, and Keshaun Singleton to return to Tampa.

Mark Schlabach also supports the Birmingham Bowl scenario but replaces NC State with Illinois in this week's update.

CBS Sports' Brad Crawford has shifted Auburn's bowl location to Birmingham, projecting a matchup against Boston College on December 29. This would be the first time since the 2014 BCS National Championship Game that Auburn plays an ACC team in a postseason game. Athlon Sports predicts Auburn to face NC State in the Birmingham Bowl, while On3's Brett McMurphy anticipates a game against Houston in the Liberty Bowl.

Taylor Jones, lead writer for Auburn Wire, covers these latest bowl projections for Auburn football as they prepare for Week 9.