AROUND THE SEC

Line: Alabama by 20 1/2

‘Best overall team we’ve ever played’

Frank Beamer has been the Virginia Tech coach for 27 seasons, has played many top teams and has placed his team in a national championship game.

He was asked earlier this week — several times — about comparing this Alabama team, a two-time defending national champ, to some of the teams in the early part of the 2000s.

“I think this is the best team we’ve ever played here at Virginia Tech all the way around — offense, defense, special teams, just up and down the roster. They’ve got good players, and they’re well, well coached.

“On their punt-protection team, I mean, they’ve got their best guys. (C.J.) Mosley lines up on that team. … They emphasize the special teams part of it.

“They’re just — you know, we played a lot of good teams around here, and we’ve played a lot of national — several national championship teams — but in my opinion, this is the best overall team we’ve ever played. …

“And that counts all those Miami teams, Florida State teams and (the) USC team when they won the (national) championship.”

INSIDE SCOOP

AJC.com's College Football Insider Andy Johnston interviewed Kirk Herbstreit, one of the hosts of ESPN "College GameDay", and asked him about the best QB in the SEC (Johnny Manziel, A.J. McCarron or preseason coaches favorite Aaron Murray): That's a good question. Those are three QBs any program in the nation would love to have. I'll go with A.J. McCarron because of the two championships. He has a calming influence on his team and makes good decisions. He checks into good plays and out of bad plays at the line. There's a lot to like about A.J. McCarron. I'll go with Manziel at No. 2. As for longevity, McCarron has been there for three years and has a better body of work. I'm a huge fan of Manziel, as far as what he can do on a football field. If all this noise and distraction goes away, I don't think it'll be a factor. Manziel works hard and knows what he needs to do to make it to the next level and have a great year.

NO. 12 LSU VS. NO. 20 TCU

9 p.m., Arlington, Texas, ESPN

Line: LSU by 4 1/2

An opening statement for Tigers

At stake: LSU gets a big opening test after eight defensive players were NFL draft picks, and as many as 15 freshmen will get playing time. The Tigers have won a school-record 10 consecutive season openers, including wins over Top 25 teams at neutral sites in 2010 and 2011. TCU begins its second Big 12 season with a chance to make a big statement against the SEC. Six SEC teams are ranked above the Big 12's highest-ranked team, No. 13 Oklahoma State, in the preseason Associated Press poll.

In the spotlight: An experienced TCU defense that led the Big 12 goes against an LSU offense with returning skill players and a new coordinator Cam Cameron, the long-time NFL and college coach. While the Tigers return quarterback Zach Mettenberger and their top four receivers, they had one of the nation's worst passing offenses last season. The Horned Frogs had a Big 12-high 21 interceptions and return all five starting defensive backs in their 4-2-5 scheme.

Be in the know: The teams haven't played each other since 1968. … Both TCU victories over LSU came in the 1930s — 3-0 at home in 1931 and 3-2 in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day 1936.

NON-CONFERENCE KING

LSU owns an FBS record for consecutive nonconference regular-season victories and haven’t lost outside the SEC since a 26-8 loss to Virginia Tech in 2002. Coach Les Miles is 31-0, the previous 10 belong to Nick Saban when he was coach in Baton Rouge.

Team;                Seasons;                    Streak

LSU;                     2002-present; 41

Kansas State; 1993-2003;     39

Miami;                1985-88; 36

Wisconsin;     2003-present; 33

TENNESSEE VS. AUSTIN PEAY

6 p.m.

Line: No line

Vols’ Neal has chip on shoulder

Senior Rajion Neal is coping with a bruised ego a year after an injured ankle ended his quest to become the SEC’s leading rusher. He was at 708 yards and five touchdowns when he was injured.

Neal, of Sandy Creek High, attributes his attitude to new running backs coach Robert Gillespie, who is toughening Tennessee’s most experienced offensive playmaker by pointing out all of his shortcomings.

“He puts a chip on your shoulder,” Neal said. “He kind of keeps it real, uncut and raw, no sugarcoating, no rubbing me the right way and making me feel good. It’s truly what everybody potentially may really feel or think about me.”

Neal and running back Marlin Lane are two of the only proven skill-position players on the Tennessee offense.

“My job is to coach, critique and correct,” Gillespie said. “My job is to find one thing for you to get better at, and once you get better at it, I’ll find the next thing that you’ve got to get better at.”

“He tells me I’m stiff, I can’t block,” Neal said. “He says I’m not fast. He pretty much told me I’m not a good tailback.”

Neal’s early-season performance last year suggested otherwise.

Five weeks into the season, Neal ranked second in the SEC with 460 total yards rushing and fourth in the league with 92 yards rushing per game. But he injured an ankle Oct. 13 in a 41-31 loss at Mississippi State and wasn’t as effective upon his return.

Sandy Creek coach Chip Walker told staff writer Michael Carvell that he expects the best for his former player. “He came by once or twice this summer. … He looked like he was in top physical condition. He had been working hard. … He’s always had a really good work ethic when it came to the weight room, and all those different things. We don’t expect anything but the best from him.”

WESTERN KENTUCKY AT KENTUCKY

7 p.m., LP Field, Nashville, Tenn., ESPN News

Line: Kentucky by 4 1/2

Petrino back in the game

Bobby Petrino hasn’t had a week like this in almost 20 months.

He last prepared to coach a game in January 2012 at Arkansas, and the Razorbacks defeated Kansas State 29-16 in the Cotton Bowl. Four months later, the school dismissed Petrino for misleading officials about a motorcycle accident involving his mistress.

Petrino has found a reprieve at Western Kentucky and is back game-planning with a team coming off its first bowl game. In first games back he’ll square off against two former SEC foes, Kentucky and Tennessee.

After Saturday’s game in Nashville, they head to Knoxville the following week to face the Volunteers.

Petrino says he lives for such challenges and is just thankful to be back in the game. “I love going through the process and how we introduce what our schemes are, how we go out and practice it, how we have our players understand what our plan is and what we expect from our opponent.”

This next chapter in Petrino’s coaching career begins against Kentucky’s Mark Stoops, in his first head coaching position. Petrino comes in with a 4-1 record against the Wildcats as a coach at Louisville and Arkansas. He is 8-0 in season openers.

RICE AT NO. 7 TEXAS A&M

1 p.m., ESPN

Line: Texas A&M by 27

The eyes of Texas are on …

At stake: Texas A&M has its eyes on a national title in Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel's second season. But the Aggies will have to wait until the second half against Rice to see their star quarterback after he was suspended for a half on Wednesday for what the school called an "inadvertent" violation of NCAA rules by signing autographs.

In the spotlight: Texas A&M's offensive line vs. the Rice defensive line. Texas A&M's offensive line is expected to be strength of the team despite the loss of left tackle Luke Joeckel, the No. 2 overall NFL draft pick. Jake Matthews has moved to left tackle and will be joined on the line by little brother Mike Matthews at center. They are sons of NFL Hall of Famer Bruce Matthews.

Be in the know: This is the first meeting between the teams since the Southwest Conference disbanded after the 1995 season. … They met every year from 1914-95. … Texas A&M has won 15 in a row against Rice with the Owls last victory coming in 1980. … Texas A&M has gained 400 or more yards in a school-record 12 consecutive games.

MISSISSIPPI STATE VS. No. 13 OKLAHOMA STATE

3:30 p.m., Reliant Stadium, Houston, ABC

Line: Oklahoma State by 13.

An early test for Mullen, Bulldogs

At stake: The favored Cowboys are the preseason favorite to win the Big 12. The Bulldogs have been to three consecutive bowl games and have won four consecutive openers.

In the spotlight: Oklahoma State's passing game against Mississippi State's secondary. The Cowboys likely will use two quarterbacks — senior Clint Chelf and sophomore J.W. Walsh — and both had success last season. The Bulldogs have three new starters in the secondary, including both cornerbacks.

Be in the know: Oklahoma State is averaging 46.2 points per game over the past three seasons and ranked in the top three nationally each season. … The Cowboys will have two new coordinators for the first time since 2005. Mike Yurcich will lead the offense and Glenn Spencer, the former West Georgia head coach and Georgia Tech player, is in charge of the defense. … Oklahoma State's defense has forced 130 turnovers since 2009, which ranks second nationally. … Mississippi State has won its four season openers under coach Dan Mullen by an average of 43.8 points.

TOLEDO AT NO. 10 FLORIDA

12:21 p.m., WPCH

Line: Florida by 24

Words with … Ronald Powell

Florida Gators junior linebacker, who led the team in sacks as a sophomore with six, will play his first game since the 2011 season when Toledo visits the Swamp:

Q: How have you handled the time away after two operations on a torn ACL in your left knee in five months?

A: Going through something like this and something you never thought you'd go through, it doesn't matter how humble you are, you get humbler. It's a different experience. You learn to find value in things you may not have valued before. … The most difficult thing is to not be able to play, to not know how I'm ever going to be playing again or if I ever will play again. Just that thought of losing something that you love you so much, which is the game we play, which is a lifestyle, it's scary. … I had to realize that life without football, it may come a time where it's life without football, so that was the hardest thing.

Q: What will your reaction be when you run onto Florida Field?

A: It's close. It's here. It's like my dream is about to come true again. To run out there again. So I'm just kind of excited and ready for what God's got in store for me.

NO. 5 GEORGIA AT NO. 8 CLEMSON

8 p.m., ABC

Line: Georgia by 2

In the spotlight: Georgia free safety Tray Matthews

About Matthews: This 6-foot, 196-pound freshman signed with Georgia as a consensus four-star prospect and entered the university in January as a midyear enrollee. Matthews quickly impressed coaches and teammates with his athleticism and aggressive style. He earned the starting position at free safety during spring practice.

Why we'll be watching: Matthews already had a demanding challenge going against an explosive offense and prolific passing team like Clemson. But the task became even more daunting when Matthews ended up missing nearly three weeks of preseason camp. First he suffered a shoulder sprain and then he strained his hamstring. He returned the final week of practice.

Scouting report: The book on Matthews is that is an extremely aggressive and physical defensive back who was going to struggle with the NCAA's new targeting rule. He remains unproven as a pass defender.

What the coach says: "The hardest part about (Matthews' situation) is just the tempo we've been going at. It isn't a real good indicator of how he can run out, how he can burst full speed, how he long he can do that, whether can he do it for an entire ballgame. That's just the part that's difficult to gauge."

What the player says: Matthews has been unavailable for interviews since February when the rest of the Bulldogs' signing class joined him on campus. But here's what he said then: "I have high expectations for myself. Me and my parents set high goals for me. … I feel like with my work ethic and my ability I can come in and play."