Auburn Football: 5 worst losses in program history

2014 vs. Florida State (BCS National Championship), 34-31

Tailback Tre Mason scored with 1:19 remaining to give Auburn a 31-27 lead, but that was too much time for Heisman winner Jameis Winston. He found Kelvin Benjamin with 13 seconds left to win the final BCS title game.

2007 vs. USF, 26-23

This loss would look worse in most years, but this is one of the better USF teams in program history. They beat fifth-ranked West Virginia two weeks later and rose to No. 2 in the nation, softening the blow temporarily on the plains. The Bulls fell apart in the second half of the year, losing three straight to Rutgers, UConn, and Cincinnati, and making Auburn’s loss, again, look pretty bad.

This was Tommy Tuberville’s last good team at Auburn, but this loss derailed the season before it could get rolling. By the time they went to Gainesville and beat fourth-ranked Florida in Week 5, the Tigers already had two losses.

2006 vs. Arkansas, 27-10, 2006 vs. Georgia, 37-15

The year prior, another Tuberville squad looked like a BCS contender on paper and was ranked 2nd in the nation when the Razorbacks came calling. The first wrench in their title hopes came by way of Arkansas tailback Darren McFadden and future Auburn coach Gus Malzahn. The playcaller/playmaker duo ran roughshod over the Auburn defense.

Then Georgia put the nail in the coffin. Brandon Cox finished 4-of-12 for 35 yards, a touchdown, and four interceptions. His QBR was 0.4.

1975 vs. Memphis State, 31-20

In Ralph “Shug” Jordan’s final season-opener as the head coach at Auburn, the Tigers fell to an unheralded Memphis State team. The primary culprit was quarterback Phil Gargis’ three fumbles and three interceptions.

Every Iron Bowl loss

In the state of Alabama, nothing matters to college football more than Thanksgiving weekend. Coaches can be good or bad for the rest of the year, but none of it will be as important as the result of the Iron Bowl. Just ask Bill Curry.

Auburn has had some massive, historic wins in this rivalry, but it has also suffered its fair share of devastating defeats in this game. This rivalry is so beautiful because it is never one-sided for too long.

In 2015, Auburn lost 55-44 after stalling countless times in the red zone. This loss was brutal because it was such a winnable game.

In 1985, Bo Jackson’s senior season, the Tigers were a disappointment, finishing just 8-4 overall and 3-3 in the SEC. The campaign was capped off by a 25-23 defeat in the Iron Bowl when Van Tiffin nailed a 52-yard field goal as time expired.

In 1967, Auburn was stopped inside the 5-yard line twice in the first half, and then Tide quarterback Ken Stabler took an option from his own 47-yard line, weaved through defenders in the rain and the mud, and outran the Tiger defense to score the only touchdown in a 7-3 Alabama victory.

In 1948, after nearly 40 years without the Iron Bowl, the Tigers lost the renewal game 55-0. No drama, just a sheer beatdown.

Some of these losses are otherwise respectable defeats, but losing to Alabama is never an easy pill to swallow.