Jess Nicholas, TideFans.com Editor-In-Chief

Kentucky going back to being Kentucky cost the Predictions Dept. a perfect record in Week 11. This week, it's mostly a bunch of freebies, with some B-level SEC games mixed in. Most of the big-dog games will wait for Week 13.

The Mississippi State game was always one to circle this year, thanks to a veteran Bulldog team with good lines, linebackers and a solid senior quarterback. The game came up on the schedule immediately following an LSU game that is always physical, no matter the outcome.

Mississippi State isn't all that likely to beat Alabama, but Tua Tagovailoa making a second consecutive fourth-quarter appearance isn't just a possibility; we think it's all but assured. With Auburn a bad matchup for what Alabama is capable of doing with its defensive front, the game against the Bulldogs of Starkville, Miss., may end up being Alabama's biggest challenge of the 2018 regular season.

This is not an official University of Alabama document. The depth chart is taken from individual practice and game observations, and is color-coded.

This week, Alabama again finds itself in the league's headline game, playing Mississippi State, but the Auburn-Georgia and Arkansas-LSU matchups could get interesting if the favorites fail to show up.

Alabama came into this game with no question marks on offense. It displayed no question marks on defense in this game, either. As long as kickers aren’t involved, this looks like a team without a weakness.

Is this matchup for real? Is LSU capable of slowing Tagovailoa down? What is reality for the LSU offense – is it the 36 points scored against Georgia, or is it the 19 put up against Mississippi State and Florida? LSU's best output of the season – 45 points against defense-illiterate Ole Miss – ties for Alabama's second-lowest of the season, a win over Texas A&M that left some people wondering what was wrong with Bama football.

The depth chart is taken from individual practice and game observations, and is color-coded.

This week, it's a A-plus slate of games highlighted by battles to control both the SEC West and SEC East divisions. Alabama gets LSU in the marquee matchup, but Kentucky-Georgia is no slouch.

This week's premier game is clearly Florida-Georgia, but the Missouri-Kentucky game could have big implications for the SEC East race.