....No real surprises as Rodney Hudson, Everette Brown, Myron Rolle and Graham Gano were the four Seminoles chosen for the Preseason All-ACC team.

Clemson's Cullen Harper was named the preseason Player of the Year.

Really?

Hmmm.

I'm a big fan of Hudson but am I the only guy who thinks Ryan McMahon is the best offensive lineman FSU has right now?

....just ask him!

St. Pete Times ran a story saying the redshirt senior has never been more confident and more ready to rule the earth with his arm.

"I think this team needs a quarterback who's going to be the guy," Weatherford said. "The guy who everyone's going to rally behind and look to lead and be there the whole year; be the guy from the first snap to the last snap and know that he's going to be there and we're going to stick with that guy. That's where a great team starts, and I have confidence that I'm the guy."

Well that's makes one person.

Meanwhile the ACC Media picks FSU to finish third. My guess is they didn't get the message.

...is up and available here. Obviously we've already hit on the running back and quarterback positions.

Noteworthy that Christian Ponder (7) and Greg Carr (18) appear to be the only two notable players who have changed numbers this season.

Corey Surrency will be starting at one of the wide receiver positions in my opinion. Parker is out for the first two games as his punishment stemming from his arrest during the offseason. It looks like Richard Goodman is going to take a medical redshirt this season so you can cross him off the depth chart.

Caz will miss the first three games of the season with a suspension. Jonathan Hannah will not be a member of the team and Charlie Graham has yet to complete his duties at TCC to return to the program. So that leaves 2008 signees Bo Reliford and Jabaris Little there. Little has some developing to do so Reliford will start. Now Bo is a DYNAMITE athlete but he needs to get a little stronger. As it is he's going to bring an element to the tight end position that Caz doesn't have -- speed, athleticism and playmaking.

As you can see there's no juniors or seniors anywhere on the offensive line. With Evan Bellamy's blood clot injury forcing him to miss the season, Rodney Hudson moves back to guard and true freshman Zebrie Sanders moves to first-team tackle. Now that may not last because the coaches believe true freshman David Spurlock is good enough to start at guard which would move Hudson back to tackle, where he excelled at in the Music City Bowl.

At defensive end there's no reason that Markus White won't move up to first team quickly. Kevin McNeil might have to take a redshirt this season due to the academic scandal and his increased role in it and Neefy Moffett is more suited for situational play. Everette Brown is solid on the other end but with Brian Coulter out of the picture and off to Mizzou, I'm not crazy about the depth here.

On the other hand, I don't think the depth at DT is as bad as once thought. Sure they will need better seasons from Kendrick Stewart and Emmanuel Dunbar but I think both players are capable.

At linebacker I don't see Toddrick Verdell holding off Nigel Bradham for very long, let's be honest. Everyone and his mother thinks Dekoda Watson will be the breakout star on defense and there's enough depth with Kendall Smith, Ricardo Wright and Vince Williams that if Derek Nicholson is a step slow recovering from his injury I don't think there will be too big of a dropoff.

I would put FSU's secondary up against anyone's with Carter, Patrick Robinson and Rolle. Now if McClure or Jamie Robinson can step up at free safety than that's a pretty good starting group. The reserves, however, concern me greatly.

Thoughts? Concerns? Insults?

Ok, training camp is in a few short weeks and I need to get myself in gear as we prepare for the start of another exciting season.

The running game is going to be the key to success for the Seminoles this year. The offensive line is still a work in progress but they will be better and tougher this year so the running backs have to produce.

Overview: The running game at FSU has been, at best, disappointing since around 2003. Most of that can be blamed on the troubles up front but to be fair the running backs, Lorenzo Booker and now senior Antone Smith, haven’t helped much. Smith’s production in 2007 can be broken down into two different seasons – the first half where he didn’t get much outside of two 40+ runs against Clemson and Colorado respectively and the second half of the season when Smith gained over a 100 yards in three of his final six games, most notably a 17 carry, 156-yard performance in the Music City Bowl against Kentucky.

The only other returning rusher with any sort of statistics is Preston Parker and we’ll get to him in the receivers portion.

2008 Signees: Tavares Pressley, a JuCo All-American from El Camino Community College by way of Desoto County, Florida, was the big signing for Jimbo Fisher’s offense. Late in the year Fisher was able to add 6-foot, 218-pounder Carlton Jones from Tampa Middleton and highly-versatile Jacksonville prep star Jermaine Thomas. All three players bring something completely different to the table.

(Note: FSU also signed Georgia prospect Debrale Smiley but he did not qualify for the fall season).

Starting Experience: Smith has over a dozen starts and Parker started two games at the position last season.

Playing Experience: Seddrick Holloway is the fullback and is utilized for blocking mostly, occasionally he’s good at it. Smith’s touchdown against Alabama was thanks to a terrific lead block from Holloway. Marcus Sims has also received occasional touches but been hampered by injuries.

Spring: With Smith taking it easy during the spring it gave redshirt freshman Brandon Paul the opportunity to play in the backfield a bit. Results for Paul were mixed as his speed and burst are a nice change of pace but there are questions about his ability to take the pounding that a running back takes and his ability to run in between the tackles. So Paul remains a player without a position (psst…play him at cornerback).

What to Look For: I believe Smith is primed for a 1,000-yard season if he’s healthy, if he isn’t watch for Pressley (if he makes it on campus, which he should by the end of the month) to be the next guy in line with Sims being used primarily for short yardage and either Jones or Thomas taking a redshirt although Thomas could be moved to receiver or find his way on the field as a third-down back. Many people believe that Pressley will assume the reins from Smith at some point during the season, but if Smith holds to the form he showed in the second half of the season I don’t see it happening. Nonetheless the running back competition will be among the most interested and heated during training camp.

...Good story from the Tallahassee Democrat on Walter Dix after he qualified for the 100 and 200-meter events at the Olympics.

His patience has paid off. He could have left for the money after his junior year, he came back instead, won another title for the school and got his degree.

He had the major shoe/apparel companies pining at him before the trials and he shunned them to wear his Garnet & Gold singlet one last time. The result -- a win in the 200 meter and more money!

I know I'll be up early in the AM to watch him go for the gold next month.

....I hope this is not a trend..

ESPN.com's Heather Dinich reports that offensive lineman Evan Bellamy will miss the 2008 season with a blood clot in his leg.

Bellamy was hospitalized for the clot late last week. This will open up the spot for an incoming freshman, most likely Andrew Datko or Zebrie Sanders, to walk in and take a spot with the starting five.

We've hit the two month mark before the start of the football season. Training camp starts in a few weeks and all but a chosen few players have enrolled and already reported for offseason player workouts.

The incoming freshmen already have a slogan ("It Starts Here!") and Warchant is even selling the shirts.

So today's multi-part preview starts with the most important position on the field -- quarterback and FSU finally has a couple of good options.

Overview: Drew Weatherford and his 31 starts lasted a couple of days in spring before going down with a knee injury and opening the door for another pre-season competition. Christian Ponder, however, might be the toughest competition Weatherford has faced during his four-plus years in the program. Ponder's work ethic and academic accomplishments are the stuff of legends. He has already received his bachelor's degree and will start graduate school this fall. He took advantage of his spring to show how far he has progressed and the potential he has should he enter the season as starter. He also has one big fan -- Jimbo Fisher. So is this the end of the Weatherford era at FSU? Many fans feel like Weatherford will get the starting nod because of Bobby Bowden's conservative ways and the fact that he's always been enamored by the quarterback despite his lack of consistency on the field. Others, who believe that Fisher is calling the shots, feel there is little doubt that Ponder will start the opening game. D'Vontrey Richardson, who was the first quarterback to go "live" during spring in ten years, should see the field in situational downs as long as his eligibility issues are cleared up.

2008 Signee: E.J. Manuel was a top five quarterback prospect. The recruit from Virginia Beach says he doesn't want to declare a redshirt right away, he's just trying to compete and see what happens. Most expect, however, he will be redshirting if possible.

Starting Experience: Weatherford is the only one of the four quarterbacks that has started. He has 31 starts to his credit but he's also, quite possibly, the most undecorated quarterback FSU has had in the modern era with no appearances on an ACC team with the exception of being named to the All-ACC Freshman team in 2005. His 0-6 record against Florida and Clemson hasn't helped his legacy either.

Playing Experience: Ponder's debut came in a hostile environment against Virginia Tech. However, the redshirt freshman, showed an incredible amount of poise, leading the Seminoles back from a 20-6 deficit into a 21-20 advantage before the momentum shifted again. Despite the loss, many were impressed with Ponder's showing given the situation. Richardson made his debut against Alabama running in a "Wildcat" formation and later appeared in the Virginia Tech game and in the Music City Bowl at several positions.

What to Look For: Another open competition. As much as Bowden is supposedly enamored with Drew, his influence isn't enough to get a green light from Jimbo Fisher. Fisher, the head coach-in-waiting, has to make a splash this season and win ball games. I think he believes Weatherford is very servicable, but moreso as a mature backup to Ponder. Keep an eye on the first two weeks of camp and if Fisher hasn't named a starter yet, expect to see Ponder trotting out with the offense on opening week.

My vacation is over and it's time to start discussion for the football season..tomorrow.

As for today....WHITNEY!

...Whether it's FSU and Miami, we'll see at 2 p.m. on ESPN.

Elih Villaneuva , a Miami native, will get the start today and it's one he really covets.

Meanwhile this is the seventh elimination game FSU has played during this CWS and of course they are 6-0 so far, scoring 99 runs in the process.

You can go on the FSU official athletic site  to listen to the live audio if you are at work.

All the Tallahassee Democrat  is offering inning-by-inning score updates via text.

Enjoy. Go NOLES!

...for the first time since 2000 as the Seminoles rallied from a 1-0 deficit to smoke da Shockers over two straight.

Here's some FSU Omaha Wallpaper  courtesy of Warchant.

Buster Posey continues cleaning up the season awards after being named Rivals.com Player of the Year.

FSU is in a Bracket with Miami, Georgia and Stanford. You can visit Hall of Canes  and my good friend Walter Villa for an update on the Canes.

The Seminoles will take on Stanford in the first game of the CWS on Saturday at 2 p.m.  Matt Fairel (12-2) vs. Jeremy Bleich (3-2) is your pitching matchup -- a battle of lefties.