FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES O:6 D:5

Last Season marked the third straight year that the Seminoles lost three or more games and topped out at eight wins. Sure, they knocked off VTECH in the inaugural ACC Championship game, but lost a heartbreaker in the Orange Bowl against Penn State. Head Coach Bobby Bowden has a stiff challenge ahead of him with only 11 returning starters this year, but the talent to improve is on hand as is always the case with all the Florida schools. The offense will once again be led by Drew Weatherford who had a masterful season in 2005. He broke Philip Rivers' ACC freshman passing record by throwing for 3,208 yards and 18 touchdowns, and became the first rookie to lead the league in total offense. However, the ‘Noles ground attack was anemic (94 YPG), which was the worst mark in HC Bowden’s tenure. They boast a solid 1-2 punch with RB’s Lorenzo Booker and Antone Smith, but the five hogs back on the O-Line have to become more physical if they’re to succeed. Look for a better-balanced attack this season, and for the Noles to better the 29 PPG they averaged a year ago. Overhauling the defense is an annual chore for veteran Defensive Coordinator Mickey Andrews, but this season will be even more of a challenge. The Seminoles lost six of their top seven tacklers and comes in very young in all three facets. Talent is on hand though, so it will only be a matter of time before the defense is stout once again. Everyone’s familiar with FSU’s historic kicking woes, and the newest to be added to the list of wide-(fill-in-the-blank) kickers is Gary Cismesia who had a brutal Orange Bowl. New returnmen have to be found as well, so look for the Noles ST rankings to drop some.