ESPN bowl projections: Auburn football faces off against a recent non-conference opponent

According to ESPN, the Tigers will face off against a recently familiar Big Ten opponent in their bowl game.

ESPN released their 2022 college football bowl preseason projections on Monday afternoon, with analysts Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach sharing their predictions for all 43 bowl games.

Kyle Bonagura slates Auburn to face off against Penn State in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl on December 31st.

The Tigers have appeared in the Music City Bowl twice in their history, winning both matchups against Big Ten opponents. Auburn defeated Wisconsin 28-14 back in 2003 and routed Purdue 63-14 in 2018. The win over Purdue included Auburn setting the NCAA FBS record for points scored in any half of a bowl game (56).

Auburn currently has a 1-2 all-time record against the Penn State Nittany Lions, having lost 28-20 in Happy Valley last season. The Tigers are scheduled to take on the Lions at Jordan-Hare Stadium on September 17th in the latter half of the home-and-home. If this bowl matchup were to happen, it would be the third time the two teams faced off in 469 days after having not played since 2003.

Auburn defeated Penn State 13-9 back in '03 and lost 43-14 in 1996.

A berth in the Music City Bowl would indicate a finish somewhere between third and eighth in the SEC (standings as a whole, not within the SEC West alone).

The Tigers open the season on September 3rd against the Mercer Bears at 6:00 p.m. on the SEC Network.

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