SEC matchups for Saturday

Mississippi State (1-2) at Georgia Tech (2-1)

Time: Noon; TV: PPV.

Skinny: MSU piled up 116 total yards, was 0 for 14 on third-down conversions and still had a chance to win in last week’s 3-2 thriller against Auburn. Georgia Tech followed an upset victory at Boston College with a gut-wrenching 20-17 loss at Virginia Tech. This is the first meeting between the two schools since 1929 with the Yellow Jackets owning a 2-0 series advantage.

Key players: Georgia Tech sophomore Josh Nesbitt is a true dual-threat QB. He rushed for 151 yards on 28 carries in the loss to the Hokies. Since MSU has no offense to speak of, Jessie Bowman led the Bulldogs’ defense last week with eight tackles, three hits for a loss and a forced fumble.

Line: Georgia Tech by 8.

Alabama (3-0, 1-0 SEC) at Arkansas (2-0, 1-0)

Time: 12:30 p.m.; TV: WVLT.

Skinny: No. 9-ranked Alabama gives Arkansas its first real test after Razorback nail biters against Western Illinois and Louisiana-Monroe. Welcome to the SEC Bobby Petrino. The Crimson Tide has the No. 1 rushing defense in the nation (42.7 yards per game). ‘Bama leads the all-time series 10-8 after rallying for a 41-38 last-second victory last season.

Key players: Unfortunately for Arkansas, Darren McFadden and Felix Jones are tearing it up in the NFL. That leaves QB Casey Dick, who passed for 300-plus yards in two Razorbacks’ comeback victories. Tide QB John Parker Wilson is 264 passing yards away from passing Brodie Croyle as all-time career passing leader at Alabama.

Line: Alabama by 10.

Vanderbilt (3-0, 1-0) at Ole Miss (2-1, 2-0)

Time: 7 p.m.; TV: None.

Skinny: Two teams desperate for inclusion with the SEC’s upper echelon could take a step in that direction in this one. Vandy already has “impressive” victories against South Carolina and Rice. Ole Miss’ lone loss was a tough one at Wake Forest. The Rebels lead the all-time series 46-34-2, including 12 of the past 15, but Vandy won 31-17 last year in Nashville.

Key players: Vandy’s senior QB Chris Nickson and junior RB Jared Hawkins are among the league leaders in rushing. Ole Miss sophomore QB Jevan Snead (six TD passes) has to deal with a Commodore defense that has 10 sacks and six interceptions.

Line: Ole Miss by 7.

Wofford (2-0) at South Carolina (1-2)

Time: 7 p.m.; TV: PPV.

Skinny: The Gamecocks hope to snap a two-game losing skid after tough losses to Vandy (24-17) and Georgia (14-7). Wofford has put up some big offensive numbers, but they came against Presbyterian (38-21) and Charleston Southern (41-23). SC has a 17-4 series advantage against the Terriers, including a closer-than-expected 27-20 win in 2006.

Key players: SC’s Chris Smelley keeps fighting off all comers in the QB competition, passing for 596 yards and five TDs. RB Mike Davis was shut down against Georgia and had a key fumble on a potential game-tying drive late. Wofford QB Ben Widmyer has rushed for 152 yards and passed for 186 in two games.

Line: None.

LSU (2-0, 0-0) at Auburn (3-0, 1-0)

Time: 7:45 p.m.; TV: ESPN.

Skinny: The premier matchup in the SEC West features No. 6-ranked LSU against No. 10 Auburn. LSU leads the series 22-19-1, but hasn’t won at Auburn since 1998. The significance of this game can be found in the fact the winner in this series has gone on to win the SEC West title in six of the past eight seasons. The last four meetings have been decided by a total of 14 points.

Key players: LSU RB Charles Scott leads the SEC with 131 yards rushing per game and 11.4 yards per carry. He had 102 yards on seven carries in a 41-3 victory against North Texas last week. The Tigers relied on a stingy defense in last week’s 3-2 victory against Mississippi State. Auburn RB Ben Tate has rushed for 278 yards.

Line: LSU by 3.

Georgia (3-0) at Arizona State (2-1)

Time: 8 p.m.; TV: WATE.

Skinny: This is the first meeting between the two schools and looked like it would be a battle of unbeatens until Arizona State dropped the ball with a 23-20 overtime loss to UNLV last week. The No. 3-ranked Bulldogs survived a 14-7 scare from South Carolina last week, keeping alive its national championship hopes during a brutal schedule that just keeps getting tougher.

Key players: Georgia RB Knowshon Moreno looked almost human in gaining 79 yards on 20 carries against the Gamecocks. So did QB Matthew Stafford who completed 15 of 25 passes for 146 yards. ASU QB Rudy Carpenter leads the Pac-10 with 975 passing yards and a 71.3 completion percentage.

Line: Georgia by 7.