COACH: Bobby Bowden (269-67-4, 29th season; 342-99-4 overall).
2003 RECORD: 10-3 (7-1, first in the ACC). Lost to Miami 16-14 in the Orange Bowl. Finished No. 11 in the AP poll, No. 10 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll.
NOTABLE: The Seminoles look like a potential juggernaut offensively for the first time in years. WR Craphonso Thorpe (994 yards, 11 TDs) appears healthy after breaking his right leg in November. TBs Leon Washington and Lorenzo Booker might be the best tandem in the league and all five starters on the line return, led by All-American Alex Barron. The question, again, is if QB Chris Rix overcomes the inconsistency that has marked his career. ... FSU will be young on defense but as fast and talented as it has been in years with budding star DT Brodrick Bunkley, LBs A.J. Nicholson, Sam McGrew and Ernie Sims, and DBs Bryant McFadden, Leroy Smith, Antonio Cromartie and Pat Watkins. ... If the Seminoles end a five-game losing streak to UM in the opener, look out.
2. Miami
COACH: Larry Coker (35-3, fourth season).
2003 RECORD: 11-2 (6-1, tied for first in the Big East). Beat FSU 16-14 in the Orange Bowl. Finished ranked No. 5 in both polls.
NOTABLE: Miami's entry into the ACC is expected to catapult the league to the nation's elite, but that's assuming the team continues to roll along despite the loss of six first-round draft picks last season and 15 in the past three years. ... The pressure will be on inconsistent QB Brock Berlin (2,419 yards, 12 TDs and 17 INTs) to live up to his lofty expectations, finally. He will need TB Frank Gore to recover from knee surgery and WR Ryan Moore to blossom. ... DT Orien Harris and CB Antrel Rolle will have to anchor a largely inexperienced defense. ... PK Jon Peattie (Countryside) earned All-Big East honors as a freshman. ... If the 'Canes get by FSU in the opener, look out.
3. Virginia
COACH: Al Groh (22-17, fourth season; 48-57 overall).
2003 RECORD: 8-5 (4-4, tied for fourth in the ACC). Beat Pittsburgh 23-16 in the Continental Tire Bowl.
NOTABLE: RBs Wali Lundy (929 yards, 10 TDs) and Alvin Pearman (643 yards, 4 TDs) form a dangerous backfield. And don't forget about Michael Johnson, rated ahead of Maurice Clarett by some analysts coming out of high school; he's the fastest of the bunch. ... QB Marques Hagans is not as skilled a passer as Matt Schaub, but he's faster and more elusive and will benefit from Heath Miller (70 catches, 835 yards, 6 TDs), perhaps the nation's top TE. ... Groh decided to go with youth on defense in 2002 and that should really pay off now. LBs Ahmad Brooks and Darryl Blackston and towering DE Chris Canty have NFL ability. ... The schedule is backloaded with Clemson, FSU, Maryland and Miami from Oct. 7-Nov. 13.
4. Maryland
COACH: Ralph Friedgen (31-8, fourth season).
2003 RECORD: 10-3 (6-2, second in the ACC). Beat West Virginia 41-7 in the Gator Bowl. Finished No. 17 in the AP poll, No. 20 in the ESPN/USA Today poll.
NOTABLE: The Terrapins own the best record in the ACC the past three years and make no mistake, they begin with the offensive wizardry of Friedgen. His multiple formations and option attack can confuse anyone, even when he has a new QB, as is the case this season with Joel Statham. ... TB Josh Allen, who attended Hillsborough High, needs to build on last season (922 yards, 8 TDs). ... LB D'Qwell Jackson, the former Seminole High star, is omnipresent (132 tackles) and a big reason why the Terps led the league in total defense (308.4 yards). ... They get FSU in late October, not early September as was the case last season, and don't face Miami.
5. Clemson
COACH: Tommy Bowden (38-24, sixth season; 56-28 overall).
2003 RECORD: 9-4 (5-3, third in the ACC). Beat Tennessee 27-14 in the Peach Bowl. Finished No. 22 in both the AP and coaches' polls.
NOTABLE: Bowden seemed headed for the unemployment line, or perhaps the television booth when the Tigers upset FSU and closed with four consecutive wins. He received a contract extension through 2010 and could have a breakthrough season. ... QB Charlie Whitehurst blossomed as a sophomore, throwing for 3,561 yards and 21 TDs, and could emerge as a Heisman candidate. ... DT Donnell Washington left early for the NFL (third round, Green Bay), but LB Leroy Hill and CB Justin Miller anchor a solid defense. ... The Tigers play at Texas A&M, FSU and Virginia in the opening five weeks and begin with Wake Forest, a team that embarrassed them 45-17 last season.
6. North Carolina State
COACH: Chuck Amato (34-17, fifth season).
2003 RECORD: 8-5 (4-4, tied for fourth in the ACC). Beat Kansas 56-26 in the Tangerine Bowl.
NOTABLE: After rewriting the league record book in his four seasons, Philip Rivers is now in the NFL (the fourth pick overall) and, for the first time under Amato, the Wolfpack has a question at QB. Jay Davis, a former Clearwater Central Catholic standout, has thrown just 29 passes in his collegiate career, which is 29 more than redshirt freshman Marcus Stone. ... TB T.A. McLendon, when healthy, is capable of carrying an offense and he might have to until the QB becomes comfortable. ... The defense is experienced, led by LB Pat Thomas and SS Andre Maddox, but can't allow 421 yards a game as it did last season. ... Ohio State, Miami and FSU all come to Raleigh. Yikes.
7. Wake Forest
COACH: Jim Grobe (18-18, fourth season; 51-51-1 overall).
2003 RECORD: 5-7 (3-5, seventh in the ACC).
NOTABLE: Grobe's offense relies on a simple formula - low-blocking, power-running and smart play (few penalties and few turnovers). It doesn't hurt to feature RB Chris Barclay (1,192 yards, 12 TDs), who might be the ACC's top back. QB Cory Randolph, once considered a runner first and a passer second, has improved and is far from one dimensional. He should benefit from the continued maturation of former Gibbs High star WR Chris Davis. ... The defense scored five TDs last season, one more than in the previous eight seasons combined, but needs to put more pressure on the QB; Wake had a league low 11 sacks.
8. Georgia Tech
COACH: Chan Gailey (14-12, third season; 38-23 overall).
2003 RECORD: 7-6 (4-4, tied for fourth in the ACC). Beat Tulsa 52-10 in the Humanitarian Bowl.
NOTABLE: Freshman QB Reggie Ball (1,996 yards, 10 TDs, 11 INTs; 384 rushing yards), the league's top rookie, should be even better. It helps he has a top-shelf TB in P.J. Daniels (1,447 yards, 10 TDs), but Tech's WRs are unproven and the OL is rebuilt. .., All three LBs are gone; Daryl Smith and Keyaron Fox were second- and third-round draft picks. DE Eric Henderson (a league-best 11 sacks) might be the ACC's top defender. ... The Yellow Jackets need to find the consistency they lacked last season. They beat Maryland and N.C. State and a could have, should have upset FSU in Tallahassee, but they also lost big at home to Clemson and then lost at Duke.
9. Virginia Tech
COACH: Frank Beamer (125-74-2, 18th season; 167-97-4 overall).
2003 RECORD: 8-5 (4-3, fourth in the Big East). Lost to Cal 52-49 in the Insight Bowl.
NOTABLE: Bryan Randall, caught in a QB controversy last season with Marcus Vick, clearly is the guy now. Vick has been suspended for the season for an assortment of legal problems. Maybe, just maybe, Randall (1,996 yards passing, 404 yards rushing) will thrive in that situation. ... Special teams, a difference-maker under Beamer, was suspect last season. Look for a return to normalcy. ... The Hokies opened Saturday against USC in Landover, Md. (a virtual home game) and play their next four in Blacksburg, a stretch that could determine if they extend their consecutive seasons with a bowl berth to 12 or find the ACC move more difficult than expected.
10. North Carolina
COACH: John Bunting (13-24, fourth season; 51-38-2 overall)
2003 RECORD: 2-10 (1-7, ninth in the ACC).
NOTABLE: Bunting is on the hot seat thanks in part to his team's woeful defense. His resume is replete with defensive jobs. The Tar Heels were an abysmal 116th nationally in total defense, allowing an average of 505.2 yards, and 113th in scoring defense, allowing an average of 38.2 points. He brought in John Gutekunst (South Carolina) and Marvin Sanders (Nebraska) to be co-defensive coordinators. ... QB Darian Durant is a dual threat (2,551 passing yards, 18 TDs, and 396 yards rushing, 6 TDs) and would get more pub if his team were better. ... The schedule is daunting with FSU, Miami, Louisville and Utah.
11. Duke
COACH: Ted Roof (2-3, first full season).
2003 RECORD: 4-8 (2-6, eighth in the ACC).
NOTABLE: Roof, the former defensive coordinator, took over for Carl Franks (now a USF assistant) and helped the Blue Devils end a 30-game ACC losing streak and then beat archrival UNC in the finale for the first time since 1989 (under Steve Spurrier). Can they build on that? Well, they lost RB Chris Douglas and DT Matt Zielinski, first-team All-ACC picks, and this isn't a program that easily reloads. ... The Blue Devils will need third-year sophomore QB Mike Schneider to improve despite the loss of Douglas and four starters on the OL. ... Duke's first three games are on the road, six overall, and just five at home. That's not good for any team.
