The differences between now and the last time Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer saw the Alabama Crimson Tide in a game could go on forever.

Since the 2009 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game – a 34-24 Alabama victory – the Crimson Tide has won three BCS National Championships, two SEC Championships, saw its first Heisman Trophy winner, and signed three No. 1 recruiting classes. The list goes on and on.

So why schedule Alabama again?

“You can look at it one of two ways,” Beamer said Monday during a conference call with reporters. “I think you get a very accurate assessment of your football team. It’s not many times that you actually play the No. 1 team in the country, so there’s a lot to play for. I think there’s some pluses; there’s always some minuses because they’re such a tough, tough team to beat. You have to play certainly mistake-free and all those things. I think there’s some pluses and minuses whichever way you go. We’re gonna look at the pluses and see exactly where our football is and go from there.”

Beamer heaped praise on coach Nick Saban and Alabama during the nearly 20-minute call. He named all of Alabama’s strengths right down to the punter, noting Cody Mandell’s yards-per-punt average last year.

“Haven’t found one yet,” Beamer said when asked about a potential weakness. “They’re like us; they’ve got a couple of new guys in the offensive line, but a couple of those guys are preseason All-Americans. I don’t think they have a weakness. They’re just as solid as the day is long. Really good.”

One reporter said Beamer should hope for a traffic jam that prevents Alabama from getting to the Georgia Dome.

“We know the challenge ahead of us,” Beamer said. “There’s no question about it. We’ve had good preseason practices. When you play the best, and in no particular area are they weak as a matter of fact they’re strong, you do find out about your football team. It’s a challenge, but you’ve got to play the ball game, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

Coleman questionable

Beamer said starting running back J.C. Coleman is questionable for Saturday’s season-opener. Coleman, who is dealing with multiple ankle sprains, rushed for 492 yards last year as a true freshman.

Beamer compares Cooper to ACC star

Beamer noted sophomore wide receiver Amari Cooper as a playmaker on Alabama’s offense. He likened Cooper to Clemson star Sammy Watkins.

“A guy that’s just athletic, can go,” Beamer said. “They’ve got a good group of wide receivers, but certainly Cooper is a guy who is hard. It’s hard to cover that guy.”