The surprise should not be the lopsided loss, the stunning defeat to a seemingly inferior foe, the thoroughness with which the Florida State Seminoles were dispatched on Saturday at North Carolina.

No, what is really stunning is that this sort of game, this sort of season, has happened so rarely for a program so accustomed to being on top.

It is easy to pile on the Seminoles now, their streak of 14 consecutive top five national finishes in peril, their run atop the Atlantic Coast Conference being challenged by one of the league's bottom feeders.

	Bobby Bowden and FSU haven't finished out of the top 5 in the past 14 years.

Georgia Tech must be irked, unable to expose the weaknesses first, the Yellow Jackets seeing their Sept. 15 game at Florida State postponed due to the terrorist attacks.

Miami, Florida. . . they must be rubbing their hands in anticipation. Perhaps the same could be said for Clemson and Virginia. The mighty Seminoles can be had, and this is the best time in a generation to push their collective noses in the dirt.

"We haven't been in this fix for a long time," Bowden said. "I guess this is what makes it so exciting for other people."

Amazing, really, that a dropoff has not occurred sooner, or more often. It is simply too tough to stay on top year after year. Ask Penn State's Joe Paterno. Ask Notre Dame, which hasn't contended for a national title for years. Ask Oklahoma. Ask Miami. Almost every program has down seasons. (Except for, perhaps Nebraska, which did endure a lengthy bowl losing streak.)

Through it all, the Seminoles were there every year, winning a minimum of 10 games, capturing nine straight ACC titles, contending for national titles, winning two.

But there was no mistaking Saturday's slide. A 41-9 loss at Carolina was not a fluke. The Seminoles had just 11 first downs, and only 34 yards of total offense in the second half. First-year quarterback Chris Rix lost lost two fumbles and threw an interception. The offensive line couldn't block, the defensive secondary couldn't cover.

It could be a long season for a program that has won at least 10 games every year since the 1987 season.

The Seminoles are undoubtedly a victim of their own success. And even a coach of Bobby Bowden's stature got caught up in it. He all but admitted his coaching staff prepared poorly for the game at North Carolina, which was 0-3, had been outscored 108-48 and had committed 11 turnovers.

"My players saw those films against Oklahoma and Texas," Bowden said. "It's hard to get fired up after seeing that. Even Maryland beat them. That's what we have to face nearly every week -- somebody we've been beating every year. You just can't make those kids believe.

"North Carolina played like I haven't seen them play all year. I studied more film of them than I have of any opponent in a long time. I didn't see them play anything close to what I saw Saturday in terms of emotion, in terms of laying it on the line. When I walked off that field, I was thinking, 'Boy, have I been had.' But how can you lie to players? They see the same film we see."

Human nature being what it is, the Seminoles clearly believed they'd walk onto the field and win. Why not? They've played poorly in the past and still won. They lost just two ACC games in nine previous seasons. Many of the players on this year's team were not around for the last one, a 1998 defeat at N.C. State. The ACC has a reputation that is hard to shake. And with Wake Forest scheduled for this week, why not look ahead to bitter rival and No. 1-ranked Miami on Oct. 13?

Because the Seminoles simply are not good enough. Not this year. Three all-Americans are gone from last season, including Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Chris Weinke. A total of 15 starters needed to be replaced. Longtime offensive coordinator Mark Richt left to take the head coaching job at Georgia. At least seven players are out with injuries, including three receivers. And FSU's emotional state was tested again last week when another starter, defensive end Eric Powell, was the victim of a shooting during a failed robbery attempt. Powell will recover, but he won't play this season.

Before the season began, Bowden recognized the problems. "If they're going to get us, they'd better get us now," he said, while seeming to relish the challenge.

And yet, Bowden could not have envisioned such a lackluster outing against North Carolina. It was his worst loss to an unranked team since his first season at FSU in 1976, the worst in any game since losing the national title to Florida following the 1996 season.

The Seminoles dropped from sixth to 18th in the Associated Press poll, their lowest ranking since the 1989 season, when they lost their first two games. FSU went on to win 10 in a row that season.

There have been other times when the Seminoles appeared on the verge of losing their luster. In 1994, they were headed for a second loss of the season, then scored 28 fourth-quarter points to tie Florida. In 1995, they rallied to defeat Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. In 1998, after losing at N.C. State, they rattled off 10 straight victories before losing to Tennessee in the Fiesta Bowl.

That appears impossible now. The Seminoles are too young, too inexperienced, and perhaps without the overall talent of years past. It happens to other programs.

The last time it happened at Florida State, many of the current players were babies.

"We have to see what we're made of," said senior safety Chris Hope. "We're not used to losing at Florida State, especially like this."

Bob Harig covers college football for the St. Petersburg Times. He can be reached at harig@sptimes.com.