Together we’ve waded through 12 weeks of football and 51 conference games, exploring the impact each of them might have on the SEC Championship Game.

All that speculation comes to an end on Saturday, as we find out who will play Florida for the SEC title on Dec. 5. So pardon me if I get a little sentimental about our last conference schedule evaluation of the season.

The league’s final five conference games take place in Week 13, with only Georgia, South Carolina, Kentucky and Florida stepping outside of the conference this week. Each has completed its eight-game league schedule and will end its season against an in-state rival from the ACC.

The SEC East riddle has been solved since Florida clinched in Week 10, but we still have to wait on the outcome of the Iron Bowl – and then potentially the Egg Bowl – before a winner can be declared in the SEC West.

Missouri and Arkansas are on the conference schedule, but we’ll bypass them since they’re playing on Friday and the outcome has no bearing on the title chase.

Here are some things we can learn about the SEC championship picture from Saturday’s four games:

SEC EAST

Florida clinched a trip to the SEC Championship game with a 9-7 win against Vanderbilt at The Swamp in Week 10.

  • Vanderbilt at Tennessee: There’s absolutely no drama here as it pertains to the SEC championship race, though it is worth noting that a win for the Vols would secure a second-place finish in the SEC East. Interestingly enough, if the Commodores were able to leave Knoxville with a victory, Vanderbilt would finish in fourth in the SEC East, ahead of Kentucky, Missouri and South Carolina and just behind Tennessee.

SEC WEST

  • Alabama at Auburn: This game is the key to all the drama for the SEC West on Saturday. If the Crimson Tide is able to win the Iron Bowl on The Plains, it will have punched its ticket to Atlanta to play the Gators next week. If Alabama loses, it opens the door for Ole Miss to sneak into the title game. A loss would give the Crimson Tide its second conference loss, giving the Rebels a chance to match Alabama’s 6-2 league record and beat them with the head-to-head tiebreaker. Simply put, a loss puts Alabama’s fate squarely in the hands of Mississippi State during the Egg Bowl, which will happen later in the evening.
  • Ole Miss at Mississippi State: As described above, an Alabama loss creates a “win and you’re in” scenario for Ole Miss due to the Rebels’ head-to-head victory against the Crimson Tide in Week 3. If Alabama wins the Iron Bowl, then the Rebels are left to play the Egg Bowl for pride. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, as the Golden Egg is one of the most prized possessions in the state of Mississippi.
  • Texas A&M at LSU: This one has plenty of intrigue, with Aggies defensive coordinator John Chavis returning to Baton Rogue and LSU coach Les Miles is potentially coaching for his job. None of it will have an impact on how the West was won. Both had their chances to beat Alabama and Ole Miss, and both teams fell short.