The SEC East followed its 2017 SEC Championship by going 9-5 against the West in the 2018 regular season.

The fun ended with Alabama’s comeback in the 2018 SEC title game, but it’s fair to wonder which division will take control in 2019.

If this prediction of East vs. West crossover games is on target, it’s going to be close.

Alabama

2018 crossover record: 2-0

2019 opponents: at South Carolina (rotation), vs. Tennessee (permanent)

2019 predicted record: 2-0

Skinny: The Crimson Tide return to South Carolina for the first time since 2010, the year Stephen Garcia led the Gamecocks to a shocking upset over the top-ranked Tide. Don’t expect history to repeat itself. Alabama hasn’t lost another game to an SEC East team since. They’ve beaten permanent partner Tennessee 12 consecutive times.

Arkansas

2018 crossover record: 0-2

2019 opponents: at Kentucky (rotation), vs. Missouri (permanent)

2019 predicted record: 0-2

Skinny: The Hogs play Kentucky in Week 7, which is plenty of time for the Wildcats to figure out what they want to be on offense now that Benny Snell is off to the NFL. Missouri dominated last year’s game after winning the previous two by 3 and 4 points. It’s fair to question how motivated that Mizzou team will be in late November, but Kelly Bryant and the Tigers also already know it’s their final game of the year, their bowl game.

Auburn

2018 crossover record: 0-2

2019 opponents: at Florida (rotation), vs. Georgia (permanent)

2019 predicted record: 0-2

Skinny: Until last season, Auburn hadn’t been swept by the East since 2012. That losing streak is likely to continue. The Tigers have the West’s most difficult crossover slate, primarily because they travel to Florida. Playing Georgia anywhere is no picnic, but it certainly helps that this year’s game is back at Jordan-Hare.

Florida

2018 crossover record: 2-0

2019 opponents: vs. Auburn (rotation), at LSU (permanent)

2019 predicted record: 1-1

Skinny: The Gators have the East’s second-most difficult crossover slate, in part because the games are in back-to-back Saturdays in Weeks 6 and 7. The Week 7 date at LSU will be particularly testy because it’s the Gators’ first trip to Baton Rouge since their goal-line stand to preserve the 2016 win at Tiger Stadium.

Georgia

2018 crossover record: 1-1

2019 opponents: at Auburn (permanent), vs. Texas A&M (rotation)

2019 predicted record: 2-0

2018 crossover record: As dominant as the Dawgs have been inside the SEC East (13 consecutive wins over 2+ seasons), they’ve struggled against the West. In each of the past 4 seasons, they’ve lost a regular-season crossover game by at least 20 points. That will change this season. They get the 2 West opponents in back-to-back weeks late in the season: at Auburn in Week 12, at home against Texas A&M in Week 13. Texas A&M likely will be out of West contention by then, but that shapes up as one of the SEC’s most intriguing games.

Kentucky

2018 crossover record: 1-1

2019 opponents: at Mississippi State (permanent), vs. Arkansas (rotation)

2019 predicted record: 1-1

Skinny: The Wildcats will have a chance to steal a victory in Week 4 in Starkville against an MSU team that still will be somewhat of a work-in-progress with a new starting QB and entirely overhauled defensive line. If Kentucky can win that, odds are good the ‘Cats will enjoy their first 2-0 sweep of the West.

LSU

2018 crossover record: 1-1

2019 opponents: at Vanderbilt (rotation), vs. Florida (permanent)

2019 predicted record: 2-0

Skinny: As road games go, every West team would sign up for a trip to Vanderbilt, and playing Florida at home gives the Tigers a chance to post their second 2-0 sweep of the East in 3 seasons.

Mississippi State

2018 crossover record: 0-2

2019 opponents: vs. Kentucky (permanent), at Tennessee (rotation)

2019 predicted record: 1-1

Skinny: The Kentucky game is early, Week 4, and will be telling and likely reveal which direction both programs are heading in 2019. If the Bulldogs don’t win that game, they’ll be at risk of going 0-2 against the East for the second consecutive season.

Missouri

2018 crossover record: 1-1

2019 opponents: vs. Ole Miss (rotation), at Arkansas (permanent)

2019 predicted record: 2-0

Skinny: Mizzou has the East’s easiest crossover slate and needs to take advantage and post its first sweep since 2014. Anything short of that will doom the Tigers’ chances to contend in the East.

Ole Miss

2018 crossover record: 0-2

2019 opponents: vs. Vanderbilt (permanent), at Missouri (rotation)

2019 predicted record: 1-1

Skinny: And that’s assuming Ole Miss’ defense stops Vandy’s Ke’Shawn Vaughn, which is hardly a guarantee. If Vaughn goes nuts — he ran for 127 yards and a TD last year — Ole Miss could be in danger of going 0-2 against the East for the second consecutive year.

South Carolina

2018 crossover record: 1-1

2019 opponents: vs. Alabama (rotation), at Texas A&M (permanent)

2019 predicted record: 0-2

Skinny: There is no good year to play Alabama, but pairing the Tide with an Aggies team on the rise seems excessive. South Carolina and Florida can battle about which one has the toughest crossover slate. Neither is easy, but the Gamecocks are far less likely to notch even one win.

Tennessee

2018 crossover record: 1-1

2019 opponents: vs. Mississippi State (rotation), at Alabama (permanent)

2019 predicted record: 1-1

Skinny: That’s obviously best-case, too. Tennessee has lost 12 consecutive to Alabama, and that’s not changing in 2019. The Mississippi State game might be the most important on the schedule. It’s the third game in a brutal 4-game gauntlet (at Florida, vs. Georgia, vs. Mississippi State and at Alabama). The Vols could enter that stretch 3-0 and exit 3-4. Beat Mississippi State and, worst case, the Vols likely are 4-3 and possibly headed toward a 9-win season.

Texas A&M

2018 crossover record: 2-0

2019 opponents: vs. South Carolina (permanent), at Georgia (rotation)

2019 predicted record: 1-1

Skinny: Texas A&M’s schedule sets up for the moniker nobody wants: Best 8-4 team in the country. Beating South Carolina is a must. The danger in that game is it’s the week before closing the season at Georgia and at LSU. Nobody will be talking about the Gamecocks. The trap-game odds are high.

Vanderbilt

2018 crossover record: 2-0

2019 opponents: vs. LSU (rotation), at Ole Miss (permanent)

2019 predicted record: 1-1

Skinny: Vanderbilt hasn’t won a road game against the West in back-to-back years since the league adopted divisions in 1992. After winning at Arkansas last season, the Dores have a great chance to make history in Oxford in 2019.