AUBURN, Ala. – No. 9 Auburn will be play No. 16 Minnesota in the 2020 Outback Bowl at noon CT on New Year's Day at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
It will be the Tigers' 44th bowl appearance and the first meeting between Auburn (9-3) and Minnesota (10-2), ranked No 18 in the College Football Playoff standings.
🚨OFFICIAL🚨
— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 8, 2019
🏖 @outbackbowl vs. @GopherFootball
🗓 January 1, 2020
⌚️ 1:00 PM ET#WarEagle x #FootballinParadise #TampaBay pic.twitter.com/HVCZm6Af7g
"We are excited about returning to the Outback Bowl for the first time in five years to face a very good Minnesota team out of the Big Ten Conference," said Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn. "I've been fortunate to make two previous trips to the Outback Bowl. Jim McVay and everyone associated with the bowl make it a first-class experience for our players and fans. We have the best fans in college football and I look forward to them joining us on New Year's Day as we try to win our tenth game of the season and send our seniors out on a high note."
Ranked No. 12 in the CFP rankings, Auburn will seek its 15th 10-win season. With a victory on Jan. 1, Malzahn would tie Shug Jordan with a third 10-win campaign. Under Malzahn the Tigers went 12-2 in 2013, winning the SEC Championship, and 10-4 in 2017.
Auburn's all-time bowl record is 24-17-2. Under Malzahn, Auburn has advanced to a bowl game in each of his seven seasons, earning victories in the 2015 Birmingham Bowl and 2018 Music City Bowl, a record-setting 63-14 win over Purdue.
This will be the 34th edition of the Outback Bowl. Auburn is 2-2 in its previous Outback Bowl appearances, earning a 31-14 victory in 1990 over Ohio State when it was known as the Hall of Fame Bowl, and a 38-35 overtime win over Northwestern in 2010.
"The Outback Bowl is one of the premier bowl games in college football and we can't wait to invade Tampa Bay with blue and orange," said Director of Athletics Allen Greene. "Coach Malzahn and his team have had a great year and enter bowl season with a lot of momentum. We look forward to seeing Raymond James Stadium filled with the Auburn Family on New Year's Day."
The 2020 Outback Bowl will be the final game for Auburn's 25 seniors.
"They are some great football players but they're even better people," Malzahn said after Auburn's 48-45 Iron Bowl win. "Our leadership hung in there and they didn't flinch. I'm really proud of our staff, too. We finished on a high note. We've got a chance to win 10 games and that's a real special thing, in the West and playing the schedule that we've played."
About the Outback Bowl:
The Outback Bowl attracts visitors from more than 40 states each year to join local fans for the game and week of events while generating tens-of-millions of dollars in exposure for the region. The bowl boasts the longest title sponsor in bowl game history with Outback Steakhouse celebrating its 25th year with the game. With this year's game the bowl has contributed over $155 million to universities over its history and is estimated to have generated well over $1 billion in economic impact for the Tampa Bay area. The bowl has also contributed more than $1.5 million to area charities since 2016 and has committed to paying an additional $39 million to universities and to donating at least $3. million more to charities through the 2026 game.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer