(Aaron Torres is a writer who's work has been published by Sports Illustrated, USA Today and Rivals.com. To read the rest of his college football countdown, including breakdowns of BYU and NC State, please click here, or visit him at www.aarontorres-sports.com)
25. Florida State (9-4, 5-3 ACC)
Returning Starters: Offense 8, Defense 4
My favorite quote so far from any summer camp came from ESPN ACC blogger Heather Dinich, when she wrote this on August 10, 2009 about Florida State:
Florida State -- One by one, the receivers have started to come back. Felony battery charges against Richard Goodman have been dismissed, Bert Reed should have completed his community service by the end of August, and Rod Owens' DUI case has been closed.
That?'s the big news out of camp? Was there nothing else to report? I guess we should just be thankful FSU's tight end wasn't running a prostitution ring out of his apartment, and none of their defensive linemen held up a Sunoco this off-season.
And let me be clear, I'm not picking on Dinich. Her quote was just reality. It was the state of the Florida State program in 2009.
There always seems to be a ton of talent in Tallahassee, but always a lack of discipline as well. And while winning seemed to heal all the off the field silliness for a long time, it's caught up to Bobby Bowden's crew of late, as the Seminoles have gone 8-5, 7-6, 7-6 and 9-4 since 2005.
Don't expect 2009 to be much better.
The offense is patchwork. Christian Ponder returns at quarterback, and while fans want to talk about the progress he made in the off-season, let's face the facts. If you take out the Seminoles two victories over FCS teams Western Carolina and Chattanooga to start last season, Ponder threw just six touchdowns to 12 interceptions. He also completed just 55 percent of his passes. While he's bound to improve, is this really a guy that's going to get the Seminoles back amongst the nation's elite?
(Agree with Aaron? Disagree? Let him know at www.aarontorres-sports.com)
As for the state of the rest of the program: FSU must replace its leading rusher Antone Smith, who's gone to graduation. And as discussed, Ponder's receivers are talented, but more delinquent than the set of the Maury Povich Show; at this point I wouldn't be surprised if one was issued a subpoena in pregame warm-ups. Of the group, only Taiwan Easterling (who impressively has never been arrested from everything I could find) caught 30 or more balls last year. And he's coming off Achilles surgery.
Defensively it's not any better, as the Seminoles have to replace virtually the entire front seven including 1st round NFL Draft pick Everette Brown, as well as safety Myron Rolle.
And the schedule? You could make a case it's the toughest in the country. There are ACC contests against Georgia Tech, Miami and NC State at home, and visits to North Carolina and Clemson, where even though the Tigers are down, they always play the 'Noles tough.
Out of conference there are trips to BYU and Florida, with a visit from South Florida mixed in. While I've made fun of a lot of teams this pre-season for ducking big games, the Seminoles are certainly challenging themselves, which could come back to haunt them.
So let's do a quick re-cap:
Seasoned yet unproven quarterback in big games? Check
Uncertainty at the wide receiver and running back positions? Check.
Reconfigured defense.
Check Unforgiving schedule. Check
Where does this all leave Florida State? From what I can see, right where they've been. In the middle of the pack in the ACC, and on the cusp of the top 25 nationally.
You don't even need a court appointed attorney to figure that one out.
(Want more of Aaron's previews? To see his thoughts on BYU and NC State as well as the rest of the top 25, please click here, or visit him at www.aarontorres-sports.com. Also, please check back Wednesday as Aaron reveals four more teams in his top 25)

Shanon Lersh
DeLeah Caro



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Man, what ever happen to this team? Growing up as a young kid I loved this team. Its sad how some teams fall off so bad and other let things like this happen, you recruit knuckleheads and that is what you get. And alot of wins erased!
weatherford blue
Austin, TX
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