With a dominant 48-10 win over Arkansas, Auburn has gotten to the six-win mark for the 2023 season and achieved bowl eligibility.

It’s a stepping stone accomplishment for first-year head coach Hugh Freeze after Auburn did not go to a bowl game last year.

After a four-game losing streak to begin SEC play, Freeze said he erased all his themes for the season off his whiteboard and replaced it with one focus: getting to a bowl game.

“But I have been pretty open about the fact that I think going to a bowl game in Year 1 is desired, needed, wanted,” Freeze said on Nov. 6. “I want the extra practices, I want our seniors to be honored, I want the program, our fans to still have the same energy moving into Year 2. And I think all of that is a part of us getting to a bowl. We’ve been able to do that at each stop we’ve taken over and I want to do it here. And I think our kids want to do it here, but you’ve got to earn it.”

Auburn came out of the losing streak with consecutive convincing wins over Mississippi State and Vanderbilt putting Auburn right back in the mix to go bowling.

It then sealed its bowl berth with its most complete, most dominant performance of the season winning on the road against Arkansas.

Freeze has noted he brought every team he has coached to a bowl game in his first year on the job. Getting to a bowl game is a sign of improvement and puts Auburn in line to develop further because of the extra practices. Should Auburn have missed a bowl game, it would lose weeks of official practices. Now, a largely inexperienced team will get extra time which, in the grand scope of rebuilding this program, could be invaluable for Freeze.

The improvement to become bowl-eligible is also an important note in recruiting, another key piece of the rebuild. The location of Auburn’s bowl game could have recruiting implications for prospects the team may be able to visit, or as a sign of where the team is headed. Auburn’s 2024 recruiting class currently has 17 commitments and is ranked 17th in. the nation per 247Sports.

Auburn has been to 46 bowl games in program history and is 24-20-2 all-time. Auburn is 2-7 in its last nine bowl games including losing its last three in a row.

Bowl projections are split on where Auburn could be headed. By beating Arkansas, Auburn put itself in a position to get to seven wins with a game against New Mexico State next week where Freeze’s team will be a heavy favorite.

It also would carry Auburn into the Iron Bowl with serious momentum.

Getting to seven wins would put Auburn higher in the SEC pecking order and in line for a more prestigious bowl games. Projections have listed Auburn in the Texas Bowl, Gator Bowl, Music City Bowl, Liberty Bowl and Mayo Bowl.

“The first logistical step in our rebuild is gained bowl eligibility,” Freeze said after Auburn’s win over Vanderbilt.

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