FSU Seminoles

As of today, there are 100 days until the start of the college football season.

You bet we’re counting.

If you’re Scot Loeffler, Virginia Tech's new offensive coordinator, 100 days must feel like a nanosecond. The Hokies aren’t the only ones, though, with plenty of work to do before the season begins. Here’s a checklist of five things the ACC and its teams must accomplish before the opening kickoff:

1. Name starting quarterbacks. Syracuse can’t even talk about Oklahoma transfer Drew Allen yet because he’s not on campus and won’t enroll until next month, but the Orange are just one of several teams in the ACC that still have an ongoing quarterback competition. Virginia’s quarterback controversy has seemingly gone on for years, and Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher has yet to officially anoint Jameis Winston as EJ Manuel’s successor. Pitt is also still searching for a dependable leader, along with NC State.

2. Find an offense in Blacksburg. Virginia Tech has become one of the ACC’s brand-name programs, a consistent winner and a representative in the Top 25 and BCS standings. That changed last season when the Hokies bumbled their way through their most disappointing season in 20 years. Coach Frank Beamer made sweeping changes to his offensive staff, but little improvement was seen in the spring game. Loeffler said it wasn’t a true indication of the progress that was made in the other 13 practices, but also conceded there is still a lot of work to be done. With Alabama looming in the season opener, all eyes will be on the ACC in Week 1. When the Hokies are good, the ACC is better.

3. Improve defensively. With the exception of Florida State, which finished the season ranked No. 6 in the country in scoring defense, 2012 wasn’t a banner year for ACC defenses. The conference usually has some of the nation’s best defenses -- including Boston College -- but there was no Luke Kuechly and no identity for the Eagles last fall. Miami beat Duke 52-45. Georgia Tech beat North Carolina 68-50. Clemson beat NC State 62-48. Clemson took a major step forward defensively with its bowl win against LSU, but the defense must become elite in its second season under coordinator Brent Venables if Clemson is going to be a national-title contender.

4. Minimize the turnovers. Virginia Tech was No. 86 in turnover margin last year, and quarterback Logan Thomas threw three picks in the spring game. Boston College was No. 88 in the country in turnover margin, FSU No. 93, NC State No. 99, Maryland No. 104, Virginia No. 110. That’s almost half the league ranked among the worst in the country in turnover margin. The Hokies play Alabama. Virginia plays Oregon. BC plays at USC. FSU is at Florida, and the Seminoles turned it over five times versus the Gators in FSU's 37-26 loss last year. The Gators scored 10 points off turnovers in that game. If the ACC is going to stand a chance, it can’t give away freebies.

5. Stay out of the trainer’s room. Virginia Tech standout corner Antone Exum is still rehabbing from the torn ACL he suffered in a pickup basketball game. The bulk of Wake Forest’s offensive line was walking wounded all spring, and that group will make or break the Deacons' season. Clemson backup quarterback Chad Kelly and starting tight end Sam Cooper both tore their ACLs this spring. If the ACC is going to beat the best this fall, it needs its best players on the field. For some programs, like Boston College, the depth isn’t there to afford injuries.

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. -- Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher has no problem with quarterback Jameis Winston continuing to play both football and baseball, even now that it appears the highly touted redshirt freshman has the inside track to win the starting job.

Though Fisher maintains the quarterback competition remains open, Winston seemingly emerged as the front-runner to win the job following a spectacular spring game and the eventual transfer of veteran Clint Trickett.

"I’m not going to limit what he does," Fisher said Tuesday during ACC spring meetings. "If that’s something he helps that team with -- he loves football, he loves baseball and we’ll continue to monitor and do the same things we do."

He later added, "You don’t put parameters on people just because somebody else didn’t do it. Charlie [Ward] did it, Deion [Sanders] did it, Sammie Smith did it. Florida State’s had quite a number of them. And [Jameis] continues to do it very well."

Winston juggled both sports throughout spring practice with no problems. He has appeared in 31 baseball games with 26 starts and is batting .293. He also has made 14 appearances as a relief pitcher with a 1.80 ERA.

Fisher has never had a quarterback play two sports. In fact, two-sport athletes are becoming increasingly rare as players become more specialized in one sport.

But Fisher says, "I think the relationship’s gone very well. Testing the waters in spring I thought he handled it extremely well and did very well with it. It goes back to the individual. Is he capable of handling it? And he’s handled it with ease. He’s excelled in both things that he’s done."

A few more notes from Fisher:

• Fisher didn't want to publicly comment on signee Matthew Thomas, who made headlines last week when he said he wanted out of his letter of intent. Athletic director Randy Spetman told The Tallahassee Democrat the school wouldn't release Thomas. Coaches continue to have discussions with his mom to see whether they can get Thomas to come up to Tallahassee. "We're working behind the scenes and I'm not going to comment publicly," Fisher said.
• Fisher also seemed a little surprised that receiver Marvin Bracy decided to quit football to focus on track. "We had a great conversation," Fisher said. "Just he was more undecided about what he wanted to do. I just wanted him to make sure if you’re going to go pro track, is it what’s best for you? Are you going to maximize the money you can make or the opportunity for your life or what’s your education down the road, what’s the big picture? I hope he’s done that."

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. -- A year ago today, Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher was asked exactly zero questions about his football team when facing the media contingent at ACC media days.

All anybody cared about was whether the Seminoles were joining the Big 12.

His athletic director, Randy Spetman, did not even stop to talk with reporters, walking -- nay, sprinting -- to the tune of a no comment.

On Tuesday, Fisher smiled and leaned on a desk when he was asked to recall the maelstrom surrounding last year's meetings, with Florida State squarely in the center.

No such drama this year. A much different vibe permeated the Ritz Carlton Resort, one that had coaches and athletic directors speaking positively about the conference's future, with a grant of rights signed and the possibility of an ACC Network being discussed.

"When you have a definite plan of where things are going and where you're going, I think you definitely do [have a different vibe]," Fisher said. "When there's indecision, you're always wondering what's going on from that standpoint. But yes, I think it's a clear-cut picture of where Florida State's going, where the ACC's going and to me it's a very exciting path. It sounds very good. I don't know all the details but our president and Board of Trustees did an excellent job of researching and making decisions. What's been explained to me, I'm very excited about it and looking forward to the future."

A future in the ACC, of course. Last year, Fisher fanned Big 12 speculation when he said his school should explore all conference options, following comments made by a member of the Florida State board of trustees. That ended up triggering a storm that painted a doom-and-gloom scenario in the ACC, one that grew with Maryland's departure, as the league had to bat down speculation it was on the verge of being raided.

Of course, reports of the league's demise were greatly exaggerated. League officials remained confident in the future, even after Maryland left. Louisville and Notre Dame have been added, and the all-important grant of rights is in the books. Now league members can move forward together. Indeed, the future 15-member contingent is completely represented here, with reps from the Cardinals and Irish attending meetings.

And the league schools have wanted to promote that message: They are united, as one, moving forward. Phase I begins in the fall with Pitt and Syracuse beginning ACC play, and Notre Dame joining in all sports but football.

"Knowing our footprint is so vast, you can really see this thing taking off and giving us an opportunity to take the ACC and compete across the board with every conference and take it into all those households," Syracuse coach Scott Shafer said. "It's an exciting time to be a part of that."

Phase II begins in 2014 when Louisville enters and the Terps depart. Louisville is at an incredible high with success across virtually all its sports, football included.

From his seat watching it all, Louisville coach Charlie Strong said, "You're going to get in a conference already rich in tradition with academics and athletics. With the University of Louisville coming, you feel there's stability there. Now with your programs, you feel you have a chance to go compete. We know we'll be able to compete at the highest level."

If you count Louisville, the ACC has a chance to have three top-15 programs start the 2013 season, something the league needs to help its national credibility. Clemson and Florida State are the other two.

And that brings us back to Fisher. Fresh off a BCS win and top-10 national finish, Fisher spoke for roughly an hour at this year's ACC media gathering, touching on topics related to the league and greater issues surrounding college football, dropping one-liners and one anecdote after another -- spending far more time than the three uncomfortable minutes he had with reporters last year.

Even better for him? There were many, many more questions about his team than he fielded a year ago.

NoleNation’s Corey Dowlar talks with Phil Murphy about the latest in Florida State 2013 signee Matthew Thomas' saga, and TideNation's Greg Ostendorf stops by to talk about the impending decisions of ESPN 150 recruits Tre’ Williams and Justin Thornton.

Offensive line, a position of need for Florida State during this recruiting cycle, got a boost Wednesday night.

Alec Eberle (Mechanicsville, Va./Altee), a two-way lineman, committed to Florida State, calling Rick Trickett and Jimbo Fisher to give them the news.

"I really like it as a school," he said. "I talked to Coach Trickett a couple of times and I pretty much knew when I left that school that it was where I wanted to go. It seemed like the best opportunity to go and win games and championships. And to have them help me get to my next goal which is to play in the NFL.

"It was the best school for all that stuff."

That was music to the coaches' ears.

Fisher had expressed some concerns that Eberle wouldn't make the trip all the way down to Florida for school. But that's what Eberle intends to do.

"They were excited," he said. "Coach Trickett and Coach Fisher was extremely excited. Coach Trickett said that Coach Fisher was a little worried that I wouldn't come all the way -- I live 10 or 11 hours away, but I made the commitment and I am going to stick to my commitment and I can't wait to get down there and play."

At 6-foot-4 and 270 pounds, Eberle will be coming in to play on the interior.

"They told me I was coming in as a guard or a center," he said. "I'll probably play center."

Florida State didn't face too stiff of opposition for his commitment. But that didn't stop it from knowing what they wanted.

And Eberle could tell that just from the way the Seminoles came to recruit him.

"There wasn't a lot of schools in the picture yet, UConn, Maryland, Temple, ODU," he said. "When FSU offered me, a school that doesn't really recruit my state that much, that sends a message. They are going to use you and you are going to get playing time. It's a great opportunity."

Florida State set a school record with 11 NFL draft picks over the weekend. That also happened to lead the entire nation, ranking ahead of national champion Alabama, LSU and yes, even Florida.

So what does this say about the Noles as a program? Are they finally back, or just a pack of underachievers? Andrea Adelson and Heather Dinich debate.

Andrea says: The proof is in the picks.

We all know the Seminoles have their detractors, who believe every season must be a perfect season or else it is a complete and utter disappointment. Raising the bar the way this program did in the late 1980s through the mid-2000s means living with the type of expectations reserved for only the most elite programs in the entire country.

Coach Jimbo Fisher lives with these expectations every day. But he also lives in reality. And reality says that Florida State stumbled badly in the final few years under coach Bobby Bowden, and it takes more than snapping your fingers, rolling a Florida State helmet onto a field and planting a spear to get a program back into national championship contention.

It takes time. And it takes talent. And, well, Florida State had a lack of talent. In Bowden’s final four seasons, 2006-09, the Noles had 12 total draft picks -- including one in the 2009 draft. That’s just one more than Florida State had this past weekend. So, Fisher has gotten the talent on par with what Florida State used to produce.

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Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston stole the show in the Seminoles’ spring game, but the departure of former quarterback Clint Trickett will not mean an automatic promotion for Winston, coach Jimbo Fisher said on Wednesday.

(Some don't believe this.)

Despite Winston's jaw-dropping athleticism, FSU will head into fall camp with an open competition remaining, and Winston and Jacob Coker will continue to split reps, Fisher said.

“We’re still going to break it up,” Fisher said. “Jameis had an outstanding spring … but Jacob Coker will still be in that battle and so will Sean [Maguire], but Jacob and Jameis will really be battling hard for that job, and Sean has really developed; I’m very pleased with him.

“We’ll split those reps and we’ll keep it because I think we still have some outstanding quarterbacks on this team. We’ll [see] how the consistency relays through, but I was very pleased with those guys in spring practice.”

Fisher said that Coker played three quarters of the spring with a broken foot, so he is eager to see how Coker competes when at full strength.

“He’s a big, strong guy who can think, really knows the offense, tough guy, big-time arm strength, can get the ball vertically and throw the underneath game,” Fisher said. “And Winston has all the tools, also. I’m very excited for those guys and their futures here.”

Jameis Winston arrived at Florida State with all of the hype and expectations that come with being the top-rated quarterback recruit in the country.

Everybody saw why Saturday in his Tallahassee debut. Winston stepped onto the field at Doak Campbell Stadium for his first game in a Seminoles uniform. Sure, it was a spring game, but this one was hugely important. The starting quarterback job was hanging in the balance.

Winston entered the game for the first time in the second quarter. He stepped back to pass. The result? A 58-yard touchdown pass to David Tyrrell that sent jaws dropping. Winston got better from there, leading the No. 1 offense on two more scoring drives. He ended up with just three incompletions on the day and 205 yards passing -- thoroughly and completely outplaying presumed No. 1 quarterback Clint Trickett.

Four days later, Trickett announced his decision to leave the Seminoles.

Jimbo Fisher has not announced a starter for 2013, but the timing does not seem to be a coincidence. After that performance Saturday, Trickett had to know the Jameis Winston era was about to unfold in Tallahassee.

Trickett has done his part for the Seminoles, serving as the backup to EJ Manuel the past two seasons. He started twice in 2011 when Manuel was hurt. Though Fisher declared the starting quarterback job open this spring, Trickett went into practice No. 1 on the depth chart, given his experience and knowledge of the offense. Of the four players competing for the starting job, he had the most extensive game action.

But what Trickett has in experience and knowledge, Winston beats in talent and astounding potential. See: Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel tweeting about Winston following the spring game, writing, "Hearing this Jameis Winston kid is a baller out at Florida State. Spring Football dominating and pitching on the baseball team."

Indeed, Winston left the spring game and headed over to the baseball field, playing in the second game of a doubleheader against Duke. Winston ended up with one hit and is batting .282 on the season while compiling a 2.45 ERA and two saves in 14.2 innings as a reliever.

For many, it was a foregone conclusion that Winston would win the starting job just based on his prep credentials. The man he is most often compared to, Charlie Ward, attended the spring game and believed the same, telling the Orlando Sentinel, "He's special. There's no question about it."

Winston seems poised and mature for his age, a player who is used to high expectations and immense hype given his high school career. He also seems humble, saying after his magnificent spring game, "I got to get better. I still have to get better on my reads and play recognition. It's just so many different things and different aspects of my game that I have to improve on. I don't really have a comfort zone with my performance right now."

Winston could be the next Seminoles great. He could do what Ward did and what Chris Weinke did. He could end up being better than both. The time for him to begin living up to all those expectations starts now.