In a wonderfully coincidental ode to the historic World Series we just witnessed, Alabama and LSU performed their best football version of a tight, tense pitchers’ duel where the first score dictates the rest of the game, and usually wins.

And, as usual, the Crimson Tide didn’t blink, scratching across that first run, er, touchdown in the fourth quarter and adding an insurance field goal before its merciless defense earned the “save” in a 10-0 victory. Bama does have the football equivalent of great pitching, and after that gem of a win in Death Valley we arrive at a Week 11 where Auburn is now the only team that can keep the Tide from getting to Atlanta again.

So if you want the ultimate Iron Bowl theater on the Saturday after Thanksgiving in Tuscaloosa, root for Auburn to prevail this Saturday in Athens on the one and only SEC game day of the season that neatly features seven conference games comprising the league’s 14 teams.

Mississippi State at Alabama, noon (ET): Even the mighty Tide could have some sleep in its eyes for the noon start at Bryant-Denny, coming off that physical and emotional victory in Baton Rouge. But you would think any chance of the Bulldogs keeping it close, let alone doing the unthinkable, went away last Saturday when they took down Texas A&M. Odds are Mississippi State won’t be able to duplicate that heroic level of play, and on the road.

But this is a perfect chance for the Tide to get its offense moving again after doing barely enough at LSU, against a Bulldogs defense that’s allowed at least 28 points each of the past six games. This is also Bama’s last SEC dress rehearsal before the Iron Bowl, with Chattanooga next week, so the sleep should be washed away, along with the Bulldogs, by the end of the third quarter.

Sophomore Nick Fitzgerald has been a nice story in Starkville, and he does a lot of his damage with his legs like Jalen Hurts. But facing Bama’s defense, at full championship-sniffing throttle, in Tuscaloosa, in mid-November, is like sailing into the teeth of a nor’easter.

South Carolina at Florida, noon (ET): The Gators were super lucky last Saturday, getting monster help from Georgia hours after laying an egg in Fayetteville to remain in control of the chaotic SEC East.

Now here comes old friend Will Muschamp to The Swamp, and he would love to wreck the Gators’ dreams of returning to Atlanta. And his Gamecocks are sneaky hot, winners of three in a row and sniffing bowl eligibility with nothing to lose in this matchup and all the pressure on UF’s current coach, Jim McElwain. It’s a good spot to be in for the Gamecocks.

Oct 1, 2016; Columbia, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Will Muschamp directs his team against the Texas A&M Aggies at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

And right now at least, the better quarterback in this game is clearly true freshman Jake Bentley, who was efficient and poised once again against Missouri. It’s no coincidence that the Gamecocks’ three-game win streak began when Bentley was inserted as the starter. Could he be due to stumble? Sure, and at The Swamp against an angry UF team would be a natural place for that.

But even if that happens, South Carolina’s stingy defense is more than capable against a struggling Gators offense of keeping it close and ultra-tense for the fans in Gainesville.

Kentucky at Tennessee, noon (ET): The Wildcats could smell first place in the SEC East in early November, but they let that eight-point lead at home against Georgia slip away and let the Gators off the hook. So Kentucky remains a half-game behind Florida in the division, without the head-to-head tiebreaker, as it heads to Knoxville, where it hasn’t won since 1984, to face a Tennessee team that is suddenly back in the race with the Gators and Wildcats both losing last week.

The Vols had what amounted to a scrimmage last week against Tennessee Tech, and they took out their frustrations from a three-game SEC losing streak on the FCS team and got a chance to ease into life without Jalen Hurd. Sophomore John Kelly rushed for over 100 yards on just seven carries in Hurd’s place and will be facing a Wildcats defense that was gashed on the ground by Georgia.

Playing at home and revitalized with the incredible help it got last week, you could see Tennessee taking advantage of a Kentucky team that had the air taken out of its balloon a bit. This is an elimination game. The loser can kiss Atlanta goodbye. The winner is right there, waiting for Florida to slip up again.

Auburn at Georgia, 3:30 p.m. (ET): For the surging Tigers, it’s eyes on the prize. We mentioned above that The South’s Oldest Rivalry is the gateway to an all-everything Iron Bowl, and Auburn will have to earn it against a Georgia team that is supremely more talented than its 5-4 overall record and 3-4 SEC mark would suggest. Just ask Kentucky.

The Tigers have won six in a row but showed leaks last week in sneaking past Vandy. You could say Auburn is due to lose and you’d be right. But the Tigers have been resilient after a 1-2 start, and they got the Texas A&M loss they needed when Mississippi State stunned the Aggies, clearing the path for Auburn.

Oct 29, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Auburn Tigers quarterback Sean White (13) warms up prior to the game against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

Georgia has been reduced to a spoiler role, and the Bulldogs already punched Kentucky in the gut. They could be even more formidable as a spoiler Between the Hedges. Plus, Auburn has issues at quarterback, where Sean White shook off his injury to rescue the Tigers after John Franklin III was ineffective, and at running back, where Kamryn Pettway “pulled something” in his left leg at the end of another monster day last week. We’ll see how Pettway progresses this week.

Vanderbilt at Missouri, 3:30 p.m. (ET): The only thing on the line in Columbia will be avoiding a last-place finish in the SEC East. For Missouri, it’s about finally getting that first SEC victory, because there’s no way anybody within that program expected to be winless in the conference on Nov. 12.

For Vandy, it’s about finishing. The Commodores are 1-4 in the league but that one win was at Georgia, and they lost by just a touchdown to Florida, Kentucky and Auburn last week. Win this game and Vanderbilt would just need to split its last two games to be bowl eligible. The Week 12 matchup against Ole Miss doesn’t look as formidable now that Chad Kelly is lost for the season.

LSU at Arkansas, 7 p.m. (ET): Here’s a late-season, prime-time matchup between ultra-talented teams that had high expectations but come in a combined 5-5 in the SEC and out of title contention. One (LSU) was beaten down by Alabama’s defense. The other (Arkansas) was lit up by Alabama’s offense. The showcase in Fayetteville should be on the ground between an angry and motivated Leonard Fournette and Rawleigh Williams III, who shredded a good Florida defense for 148 yards.

The other big thing at work here is the mental game. What will LSU have to offer after that taxing loss to Bama? And will Arkansas suffer a letdown after its stunning rout of Florida on the same field?

Ole Miss at Texas A&M, 7:30 p.m. (ET): This had offensive fireworks written all over it, but the Chad Kelly vs. Trevor Knight marquee quarterback matchup was blown to pieces. Kelly is done for the season after tearing his ACL and lateral meniscus last week against Georgia Southern, and Knight is even a question mark for Saturday after injuring his shoulder in the shocking loss at Mississippi State.

With Kelly done, the Rebels might not even qualify for a bowl game, unthinkable a few months ago. The Aggies have their own misery to cope with — trying to pick themselves up off the turf and at least win out after having their College Football Playoff hopes crushed in Starkville.