Auburn’s sliding down the SEC bowl pecking order at a rapid rate.

From preseason semifinalist to the bottom of the barrel, the Tigers’ surprising 0-2 start in conference play has left Gus Malzahn’s offense in a tailspin searching for answers. Mississippi State took advantage on the Plains and pushed back into the AP Top 25 with its third win in four games.

RELATED: Week 5 Coaches Poll | Week 5 AP Top 25

The Citrus and Outback Bowls are difficult to guess. Tampa usually always goes with a team from the Western Division and could have a shot at Alabama unless the New Year’s Six grabs the Crimson Tide with an at-large spot. Orlando gets first dibs and likely wouldn’t pass up Nick Saban’s team if the opportunity presented itself unless Wisconsin is the big Ten representative.

Fans don’t like rematches and that could be a travel risk for both parties involved. A nine or 10-win Texas A&M squad would be the sexier pick with Alabama sliding just down I-4 to Tampa to take on Jim Harbaugh and Michigan.

South Carolina fought off a halftime deficit against UCF to score 23 unanswered and even its record at 2-2, but the Gamecocks face four nationally-ranked teams the rest of the way. At best, Steve Spurrier’s team is likely looking at a 6-6 regular season and a berth in Birmingham against Memphis.

2015 SEC BOWL PROJECTIONS AFTER WEEK 4 (11 invites)

  • College Football Playoff Semifinal (Cotton Bowl): Ole Miss vs. TCU
  • New Year’s Six Peach: Georgia vs. Notre Dame
  • New Year’s Six Sugar: LSU vs. Baylor
  • Citrus: Texas A&M vs. Wisconsin
  • Outback: Alabama vs. Michigan
  • Music City: Kentucky vs. Georgia Tech
  • Belk: Tennessee vs. Duke
  • Liberty: Mississippi State vs. Oklahoma State
  • TaxSlayer: Florida vs. Penn State
  • Texas: Mizzou vs. Nebraska
  • Independence: Auburn vs. Virginia Tech

On the outside looking in: Arkansas, South Carolina, Vanderbilt