20251129 Fb Vs Bama Zb 0234 — Auburn wide receiver Malcolm Simmons (4) scores against Alabama during the 2025 Iron Bowl. (Zach Bland / Auburn Tigers)

When Auburn lost the Iron Bowl, the Tigers fell to 5-7 overall, seemingly putting the final nail in the coffin of their 2025 football season.

But it didn’t take long for people to realize that may not necessarily be the case as the number of bowl-eligible teams did not match how many teams were needed to fill each bowl game.

Several teams below .500 received bowl invitations including Auburn but the Tigers declined to extend their season, according to a report from On3.

The news did not come as a surprise as Auburn likely had players leave town and the team had been without practice while moving into a new era under coach Alex Golesh.

Still, the report also confirmed the program has now gone two straight seasons without a bowl appearance and seven straight seasons without a bowl victory.

Bowl season

According to On3, Auburn was one of seven schools to decline a bid to the Birmingham Bowl specifically including:

Baylor
Florida State
Kansas
Rutgers
Temple
UCF

Notre Dame and Iowa State also opted out of bowl games this season.

The SEC officially has 10 teams in the postseason with five of those in the College Football Playoff. The Tigers were one of three SEC teams to finish with a 5-7 record, one win shy of bowl eligibility.

Auburn has not put out an official statement or confirmed the decision to decline a bowl bid.

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