Auburn football declined bowl opportunity after 2025 season | Report
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AUBURN — It may not have technically been bowl-eligible, but Auburn football definitely won’t make a postseason appearance in 2025, according to a report from On3’s Brett McMurphy, who said the Tigers have declined the opportunity following their 5-7 campaign.
Auburn was one of five teams, along with Baylor, Central Florida, Florida State and Rutgers, that mustered just five wins and eventually declined a bowl invitation, McMurphy reported Sunday, Dec. 7.
There was plenty of reason to think the Tigers could still go bowling this year. Three bowl-eligible teams declined a postseason berth, reportedly or otherwise, this week, leaving the door open for such a happening. When bowl-bound teams opt out, those who are next in line usually meet two parameters.
Florida State, Auburn, UCF, Baylor & Rutgers are the 5-7 teams that declined a bowl bid, sources told @On3sports. Of course, these teams thought season was over 2 weeks ago & players have scattered. They didn’t – you know – quit because they didn’t make the playoff
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 7, 2025
The first is at least five wins, and the second has to do with multi-year academic progress rates (APR). Remaining teams are ordered based on multi-year APRs, and McMurphy reported this week that Rice, Auburn and Central Florida were next in line.
Kansas State, which went 6-6, opted out after coach Chris Klieman’s retirement. Iowa State, which went 8-4, did the same after coach Matt Campbell left for Penn State. Then 10-2 Notre Dame announced after missing out on the College Football Playoff that it wouldn’t participate in a bowl game.
Auburn’s circumstance is similar to the first two opt-outs, as head coach Alex Golesh was hired Nov. 30 after the regular season’s end a day prior. That means Auburn’s 2025 campaign officially ends at 5-7, adding a fifth year to what’s tied for the longest streak of losing seasons in the program’s history.
Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at acole@gannett.com or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter.To support Adam’s work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football declined bowl berth following 2025 season
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