I am going to start with the Atlantic Division and go with my pick to win that division, then my pick for number two in the division and so on and then go to the Coastal. So, my pick to win the Atlantic division and make the ACC title game is Florida State.
OFFENSE
QBs: This position has probably plagued FSU the most recently in their fall from the best team in college football to a decent team at best the past few years. Drew Weatherford was the starter the three previous years before last year when Christian Ponder was chosen by second year OC Jimbo Fisher as the starting quarterback. The switch proved to be a good one as FSU went from 21.8 PPG (their worst since 1981) to 33.4 PPG last year. Ponder was a big reason why. He is mobile, athletic, has a good arm, and most of all seems to be a very smart QB. EJ Manuel, a top 5 QB recruit from last year, will be the back-up to Ponder even though he missed the spring due to injury. I look for more improvement from Ponder as he enters his second year as the starter under Fisher's schemes and should be one of the top three or four QB's in the ACC this year.
RBs: FSU has produced some great talent at the RB position under Bobby Bowden. It is hard to believe that they have not had a guy go for 1000 yards since 1996 when Warrick Dunn accomplished the feat. Last year senior Antone Smith was the solid #1 RB for the team and had a good year, rushing for 792 yds. and 15 TDs. Jermaine Thomas was the #2 guy and rushed for 482 and 3 TDs. Ponder was actually third on the rushing list with 423 and 4 TDs. This year Thomas looks to be the lead guy and should have a good year as FSU's o-line continues to improve under Rick Trickett. They will probably continue their streak of no 1000 yard rushers however as they lose their top rusher from a year ago and Thomas is still young.
WRs: WR has always been a strength for the Seminoles as they always are able to recruit great speed. Last year they were hurt early in the year by suspensions that carried over from last years academic cheating scandal. Greg Carr (6'6") graduated last year and Corey Surrency lost his NCAA appeal for another year of eligibility. This unit has a lot of decent young talent that was young last year and should improve. This should be a decent year for FSU's receivers but this will not be an overwhelming group.
OL: If QB wasn't FSU's biggest problem recently then the offensive line definitely was. Bowden hired Rick Trickett, considered one of the best OL coaches in the country, away from West Virginia three years ago with the hopes of correcting these problems. It has been a slower process than what some Seminole fans have wanted but the results are starting to show. Last year FSU had one of the youngest lines in the country, starting 3 freshman and 2 sophomores (almost unheard of in major college football). The line struggled at times but really showed flashes down the stretch last year picking up Trickett's zone blocking schemes. The great news is that this should be FSU's best o-line in many years as all five starters return. They will still be on the young side, now with 2 juniors and 3 sophomores, but all the playing experience from a year ago should nullify some of that. This should be one of the top offensive lines in the ACC and should be FSU's best in some time.
DEFENSE
DL: FSU seems to produce NFL defensive linemen and LB's almost at will. FSU, with Mickey Andrews at the helm, always has a good rush defense. FSU had an uncharacteristic year against the run last year, allowing 133 YPG but they did record 39 sacks. This year they lose Everette Brown, the second round draft choice of the Carolina Panthers, and Neefy Moffett who had 5.5 sacks last year. They do however, as usual, bring in top notch talent with the #1 ranked DL in the country Jacobbi McDaniel and the #1 Junior College DL Markus White. FSU will have another good d-line that might not record as many sacks but should be better against the run.
LBs: Florida State always has big, fast, really good linebackers. That is just the advantage of having a great defense that produces NFL talent, good recruiters, and being in located in the state of Florida. This year they do have to replace their top 2 tacklers from a year ago (Derek Nicholson and Toodrick Verdell) but they always seem to replace talent with talent. This years LB corps will be inexperienced but FSU has done a great job recruiting LBs the past few years and this group will be lightning fast and very talented, albeit young.
DBs: Again, as it seems like is written in every position group defensively, FSU is always loaded with speed and athletes in the secondary. They usually have a very strong pass defense, sometimes simply because their front seven is so good they get good pressure on opposing QBs. They slipped a little last year because they struggled against the run, often playing now departed safety Myron Rolle closer to the line of scrimmage. In addition to losing Rolle this year they lose two of their better cover corners in Tony Carter and Michael Ray Garvin. They also lose FS Darius McClure. This unit returns just two starters this year (Patrick Robinson and Jamie Robinson) but should be pretty good. They replace the departing upperclassmen with younger speed and I think this years DBs could actually have a better year than the experienced group from a year ago.
OVERALL
FSU has been struggling the past few seasons in trying to return to their glory days of the 1990s. I think they are almost back. This years team looks solid across the board with a couple of potentially scary spots (depth at WR and young LB) but the guys projected to start are extremely talented as FSU has done a better job recruiting the past couple of years. FSU now has a team that resembles some of those 1990s teams with tons of speed and good line play on both sides of the ball. I predict for FSU to have their first double digit win season since 2003 and to not only play in the ACC title game but to win the ACC. FSU does have a very tough schedule with BYU, South Florida, and Florida on the non-conference schedule but I see FSU as a team on the rise and one ready for at least somewhat of a breakout year for them.
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