Wed., Aug. 22 With the injuries and graduation losses Florida State has suffered, people are writing off the Seminoles, thinking they are down. People are picking them to finish second or third in the ACC behind Georgia Tech and Clemson. If teams are going to catch Florida State, this is the year to do it. More on Florida State

OFFENSE
Weinke's loss is critical, since this marks the first time during the Bowden era in Tallahassee that the Seminoles enter a season without a QB who has taken a single snap in a game situation. I don't want to overdramatize the situation, since Weinke had only taken 13 prior snaps and Heisman Trophy-winner Charlie Ward had just eight snaps before he took over the reigns. But when you combine an inexperienced signal caller with so many other new faces on both sides of the ball, it's easy to see why maintaining the streak of at least 10 wins per season won't be easy.

The ideal situation at QB is basically to wait and see what transpires when the bell rings. In fact, you could see redshirt freshman Chris Rix and converted wideout Anquan Boldin each see action during early season games. Rix, an athletically gifted signal caller with impressive speed and physical ability, has plenty of upside. How quickly he masters the nuances of playing the position will be the key. As for Boldin, he actually starred as a QB at the prep level before making the transition to receiver right away with the Seminoles. Now a junior, he's being asked to reestablish himself at QB, where at the prep level, he accounted for nearly 11,500 yards of total offense during his brilliant career.

Seminoles at a glance

2001 schedule Sept. 1 at Duke Sept. 8 vs. UAB Sept. 15 vs. Georgia Tech Sept. 22 at North Carolina Sept. 29 vs. Wake Forest Oct. 13 vs. Miami (Fla.) Oct. 20 at Virginia Oct. 27 vs. Maryland Nov. 3 at Clemson Nov. 10 vs. N.C. State Nov. 17 at Florida 2000 results (11-2, 8-0 ACC) BYU W 29-3 at Georgia Tech W 26-21 North Carolina W 63-14 Louisville W 31-0 at Maryland W 59-7 at Miami (Fla.) L 27-24 Duke W 63-14 Virginia W 37-3 at N.C. State W 58-14 Clemson W 54-7 at Wake Forest W 35-6 Florida W 30-7 vs. No. 1 Oklahoma L 13-2

At RB, there is no established feature back yet, but there's plenty of talent on hand with Davy Ford, Nick Maddox and Greg Jones. Veteran FB William McCray, Randy Golightly and Chad Maeder are also in the mix.

As for the wideouts, losing Minnis to the NFL hurts and Boldin's shift to QB takes away a quality option, but a nice collection of talent returns. Of a group that includes Atrews Bell, Robert Morgan, Javon Walker and Talman Gardner, it will be interesting to see who emerges as the go-to performer.

Along the offensive live, three starters must be replaced, but All-American-caliber bookend T Brett Williams returns. The 6-5½, 322-pound junior has a chance to establish himself as the top player at his position to ever wear a Seminole uniform. The other key performer up front is junior guard Montrae Holland. A real powerhouse in terms of size (6-3, 323) and weight-room strength (bench presses 520 pounds), Holland has two years of eligibility remaining.

DEFENSE
Defensively, Florida State is strong up the middle, led by super blue-chip sophomore DT Darnell Dockett, senior MLB Bradley Jennings and senior FS Chris Hope. Plus, sophomore Kevin Emanuel has a great deal of pass-rush potential at LDE.

At OLB, you also have to like the speed and athleticism of sophomore Kendyll Pope. Also keep an eye on sophomore Michael Boulware; he'll open as the starter on the strongside and could develop into a top-flight performer.

Senior Abdul Howard steps in for Derrick Gibson at the rover/SS spot, while junior Malcolm Tatum and sophomore Stanford Samuels are being asked to fill the shoes of Tay Cody and Clevan Thomas at the corners.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Once again, the kicking game is a definite question. The Seminoles must find a consistent field-goal kicker and also replace punter Keith Cottrell. This season, more than any other in recent memory, the lack of experience at QB could cause drives to bog down, meaning they can't afford misses on what should be fairly routine attempts.

Brett Cimorelli, the incumbent, figures to be pushed by incoming freshman Xavier Beitia as they look for a kicking solution. The new punter will be former walk-on Chance Gwaltney, who has also had opportunities to handle the kicking duties.

Overview: In a year where the Seminoles have so many questions due to the huge number of key graduation losses, Bobby Bowden and his staff are fortunate to have a schedule that looks favorable (at least on paper). The two most challenging opponents, Georgia Tech and Miami (Fla.), both must travel to Tallahassee. And late in the year, when the QB position will have had opportunity to be resolved, they go on the road to face Clemson and Florida in two of the season's final three games.

In a transitional year, however, the Seminoles won't be in a position to just throw their helmets on the field and come away with an easy victory. With that in mind, no opponent can be taken lightly. Fortunately for QBs Rix and Boldin, there is potential at RB with Maddox, Ford and Jones, while the receiving corps could be excellent. If physically gifted senior Javon Walker can take his game to a new level, that would be a major plus. While the offensive line will have three new starters, Williams is a rock at tackle and Holland carries the underrated tag at guard.