Auburn’s win over Vanderbilt opened up a lot of doors for this team with regard to bowl possibilities. Auburn was, of course, expected to beat Vanderbilt, and with New Mexico State further down the schedule, Auburn has a realistic chance to get to a seven-win record.

Getting to seven wins would greatly expand the options of where Auburn could be sent for a bowl game, and the projections this week reflect that.

A reminder of how the bowl selections work in the SEC: First, teams are picked for the College Football Playoff, then the remaining New Year’s Six bowl games. The Citrus Bowl then gets the first pick of SEC teams after that. Once the Citrus Bowl makes a pick, the SEC, the schools and the bowl committees of a pool of six bowl games then place the next six SEC teams — assuming six more teams are bowl eligible. Those games are the the Texas Bowl, Mayo Bowl, Gator Bowl, Music City Bowl, ReliaQuest Bowl and the Liberty Bowl.

Getting to seven wins would all but assure Auburn of being in one of those six games. At six wins it still has a chance depending on what places out elsewhere.

If it doesn’t get to seven wins, a 6-6 Auburn may miss out on those six bowl games and be moved into the next tier down, where ESPN then gets a say in placing SEC teams in either the Birmingham Bowl or the Gasparilla Bowl.

“I have been pretty open about the fact that I think going to a bowl game in Year 1 is desired, needed, wanted,” Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze said Monday.

The Action Network: Auburn to the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tennessee, against Wisconsin

247Sports: Auburn to the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, in Charlotte, North Carolina, against Clemson

ESPN: Auburn to the Music City Bowl against Minnesota, and Auburn to the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, Florida, against Wisconsin

CBS: Auburn to the Texas Bowl in Houston, Texas against Oklahoma

The Sporting News: Auburn to the Duke’s Mayo Bowl against Clemson

USA Today: Auburn to the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee against Iowa State

Athlon Sports: Auburn to the Music City Bowl against Wisconsin

Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at [email protected]