Coming off a season in which Florida State had its worst season in ten years and Maryland won its first ACC championship in sixteen years, normalcy should be set to return to the conference for 2002.
The Seminoles, a team with 15 new starters in 2001, have 17 returning starters this season, and have improved greatly on last year's glaring deficiency, pass rushing. Traditionally Florida State has had one of the best pass rushes in the nation, but last season the team compiled only 14 sacks.
All-ACC junior defensive tackle Darnell Dockett is set to revamp the Seminoles' defensive attack.
"I think Dockett is a guy that can provide them with a tremendous pass rusher, and I think that was something they were lacking last year," Duke head coach Carl Franks said. "They didn't have a dominant pass rusher like they've had in the past."
Despite facing constant double teams, Dockett set a Seminole record last season with 22 tackles for a loss. In addition to Dockett, junior linebacker Michael Boulware and senior defensive end Alonzo Jackson, who had five sacks last season and dominated the spring game with an additional three sacks, will add firepower to the defensive line.
Also struggling last season, the offense looks to improve under the leadership of sophomore quarterback Chris Rix.
As a redshirt freshman, he started off slowly, only winning only three of his first five games.
Rix was heavily criticized at this time, and many Florida State fans wondered if he even belonged on the team.
But Rix improved every game, ending the season as ACC freshman of the year while throwing for 2,734 yards and 24 touchdowns.
However, he also had five fumbles and 13 interceptions. To improve on those poor marks, Rix spent the month of May with quarterback specialist Steve Clarkson, and he now has a more over-the-top release that he hopes will be more accurate.
"Teams should be [scared of us], especially this year," Rix said. "Last year...was the year the get us. We're not focused on last season, it's in the back of our minds."
There is much more talent around Rix this season, with perhaps the nation's best offensive line protecting him, led by 6-foot-6, 310 pound All-American Bret Williams.
Catching Rix's passes are improved wide-outs Robert Morgan and Anquan Boldin. Receivers' hands were just as big of a problem as Rix's arm during last season's, but Florida State does not expect that to be an issue again.
"What we've got to do is go out and see what kind of progress we can make in one year," Seminole head coach Bobby Bowden said. "But whatever it is, I think it's going to be tougher. The conference is definitely tougher."
The other main contender for the ACC crown, Maryland, has a lot to prove this season. The team wants to be considered one of the top programs in the country, and it realizes that it must win every year.
"It's hard to change somebody's mind in just a year," said Terrapin linebacker E.J. Henderson. "Maybe after this year and in a couple of years we'll have the respect we used to have."
Since head coach Ralph Friedgen turned down NFL offers last spring, the Terrapins have had nothing but bad luck.
The tremors began in the spring with an ACL tear in the knee of sophomore quarterback Chris Kelley. He is expected to return by mid-season, but until then Maryland will be led by the inexperienced duo of Scott McBrien and Orlando Evans. Both transfers, McBrien started one career game at West Virginia, while Evans threw for 2,391 yards and 28 touchdowns at the City College of San Francisco last season.
Adding to the Terripans' aches, junior Bruce Perry, the leading rusher in the ACC last season with 1,242 yards, is out for the first four to eight weeks of the season with a groin muscle tear. With both its air and running game weakened, it is hard to be optimistic about Maryland's offense.
Maryland appears equally shaky on defense. The Terrapins return only five starters, with Butkus award finalist Henderson leading the group.
Even with Henderson, the Maryland defense looks more like the Terps of the past, a team that produced only three winning seasons over the past fourteen years.
Maryland is determined to fight through those hardships, and not live in last seasons' shadow.
"In my experience, if you believe you can do it, it makes it a lot easier," Friedgen said.
Regardless of that, with Florida State's improvement, and Maryland's bad luck, a traditional season may be set in the ACC.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.