With the injuries and graduation losses Florida State has suffered, people are writing off the Seminoles, thinking they are down. People are picking them to finish second or third in the ACC behind Georgia Tech and Clemson.

If teams are going to catch Florida State, this is the year to do it. But Bobby Bowden will use that as motivation. Teams still have to beat Florida State in Tallahassee, something they have been unable to do. Although the Seminoles have to travel to North Carolina and to Clemson, they get Georgia Tech and Miami (Fla.) at home.

	Javon Walker caught three TD passes last season.

Now that Anquan Boldin is lost for the season, Florida State has lost six quality receivers in two years. After the 1999 season, the Seminoles sent Peter Warrick, Laveranues Coles and Ron Dugans to the NFL. After last season, Marvin "Snoop" Minnis graduated to the pros. And now they have lost Boldin, their top returning receiver, and Robert Morgan to season-ending injuries.

Nevertheless, the Seminoles are still able to use three receivers who can play for anybody -- Javon Walker, Atrews Bell and Talman Gardner. But Boldin's injury in particular hurts their depth at two positions -- receiver and quarterback. Boldin, who was competing with redshirt freshman Chris Rix for the quarterback job, was shifted back to receiver when Morgan was hurt.

Now that Boldin is out, the Seminoles, who frequently use four wideout sets, have two true freshmen vying for the fourth spot.-- P.K. Sam and Craphonso Thorpe. Meanwhile, the backup behind Rix is another true freshman, Adrian McPherson, a 6-3, 195-pounder who had a great high school career.

The Seminoles have to worry about how mistake-prone Rix will be. He runs a 4.5 in the 40 and is a big, strong kid with great mobility and an above-average arm. But his understanding of the Florida State offense is still developing. He may make mistakes and turn the ball over, allowing teams opportunities for quick scores.

At receiver, the key will be Walker, a JUCO transfer last year who showed flashes of brilliance but must prove he can stay healthy. He had an ankle injury last year and was not at full strength for much of the season. Bell is a good, sure-handed gamer, and Gardner has a lot of athleticism and size and quickness. But as the No. 1 receiver, Walker needs to prove he can play every week and become the big-time player they hope he can be.

There was speculation that Nick Maddox would move to receiver. But Bowden said he would leave Maddox as the featured running back, especially after he had a great fall practice. Maddox joins veteran fullback William McCray in the backfield. Davy Ford and Greg Jones remain the backups, while true freshman Eric Shelton will also see some playing time.

A plus could be the Florida State kicking game. The Seminoles think they have a kicker, true freshman Xavier Beitia, who could the level of Sebastian Janikowski. Beitia has solidified the kicking job ahead of last year's starter, Brett Cimorelli. If the true freshman kicker is as good as advertised, he would solve a problem the Seminoles had major kicking problems last year.

Florida State still has a shot at being competitive, but the offense's potential struggles make the Seminoles the third-best team in the ACC. They know they will be playing second fiddle to Georgia Tech and Clemson, but Tech will have to beat them in Tallahassee. Florida State's game against Clemson in Death Valley will carry a tremendous amount of intrigue.

Even though Georgia Tech and Clemson have been anointed the top two teams in the conference, they have yet to earn it on the field. Until this season, the Seminoles have never been picked against in the ACC, and it may never happen again.

News and notes
Clemson -- Clemson had already lost first-round draft pick Rod Gardner, who had been Woody Dantzler's favorite target in the red zone. Now the Tigers lose Kevin Youngblood for the season to a broken leg suffered Tuesday during their last preseason scrimmage.

Youngblood, their best returning receiver, was having a great fall camp. At 6-foot-5, Youngblood had the potential to be the same type of receiver as Gardner was -- big, physical and imposing on fade routes in jump-ball situations. With Youngblood out, the Tigers will move Jackie Robinson, their starting flanker, to split end, and elevate true freshman Roscoe Crosby to first-team flanker.

Youngblood's injury hurts Clemson's passing game, Dantzler's Heisman Trophy hopes and Clemson's ability to compete against Georgia Tech and Florida State for the ACC title. The season, though, will still boil down to two games -- at Georgia Tech on Sept. 29 and at Death Valley against Florida State on Nov. 3. Even without Youngblood, the Tigers still have high aspirations for the season.

Florida -- It looks like Rex Grossman and Brock Berlin are still in a battle to see if there will be a solid No. 1 quarterback. Grossman may have a slight edge over Berlin. The Gators will be forced to use some unproven performers at key positions. They were really hurt along the offensive and defensive lines by the early departures of Gerard Warren and Kenyatta Walker to the NFL. They are thin at fullback as well. It's not like 1996, when the Gators were settled at quarterback with Danny Wuerffel and won the national championship. But the Gators have a solid group of receivers, much like they did in their championship season.

Georgia Tech -- Along with running back Jermaine Hatch, the Yellow Jackets have also lost receiver Nate Curry for the season with a torn ACL suffered during practice. Fortunately, they are deep at receiver. The injury is not catastrophic, although Curry was an excellent player last year as a freshman.

South Carolina -- While Kalimba Edwards is a great defensive player as a combination defensive end/outside linebacker, the Gamecocks are also very excited about the prospects for Kenny Harney. The outside linebacker was hurt half of last season with a broken fibula. He's a key player. If Harney is at full strength to go with Edwards, the Gamecocks have two outstanding players who can give the excellent ability on the outside edge. Harney could be a star in the making.

Colorado -- The Buffaloes, who play Fresno State on Sunday, have injury problems at running back. Marcus Houston has had a nagging groin injury that has held him back for the last couple of weeks. Cortlen Johnson has been hampered by an ankle injury, allowing a JUCO transfer, 6-3, 225-pound Chris Brown, to become the No. 1 tailback. The injuries have elevated Bobby Purify to the No. 2 back.

Texas -- With a logjam at running back, Kenny Hayder has decided to transfer. Victor Ike is the starting tailback, but the Longhorns also really like true freshman Cedric Benson, a natural runner who is very instinctive. Benson's play has forced the other backs to elevate their game, particularly Ike. Ivan Williams is another running back vying for playing time. Ike, Williams and Benson give the Longhorns a better running back situation than they anticipated, even with Hayder transferring.