The way Bobby Bowden sees it, there are always going to be at least four teams entering each season as legitimate candidates for an Atlantic Coast Conference championship.

Florida State coach Bobby Bowden leans against a goal post as he watches his team scrimmage in Tallahassee, Fla., in this Aug. 20, 2005 photo. (AP Photo/Phil Coale)

"You say Miami, you say Florida State, you say Virginia Tech, probably all three of them every year," said Bowden, who's entering his 31st season coaching the Seminoles. "Then there's usually at least one other team right there, and this year, oooh, boy, this might be their chance. Parity, you call it."

Sure enough, parity may have finally hit the ACC -- the league Florida State has dominated since its arrival, with last year representing the 12th time in 14 seasons that the Seminoles marched off with the league title.

Defending that crown, though, may be particularly hard this time around. There's no shortage of teams entering this season believing they are true contenders for the ACC title and the automatic berth in the Bowl Championship Series that comes with the trophy.

"I expect a lot of this team, more than any other season so far," said Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson, the league's preseason player of the year. "We have a ton of experience. Our defense is always going to be good and I expect our offense to always be productive."

Miami has fallen short of the league-title goal in each of its first two ACC seasons. Late-season home losses, first to Virginia Tech in 2004 and then to Georgia Tech in 2005, doomed the Hurricanes' title plans. Nonetheless, the Hurricanes -- who lost nine players in the NFL draft and are coming off a disappointing-by-their-standards 9-3 year -- are considered by many the favorite this fall, whether they want to hear it or not.

"We know there's a lot of people doubting us," Miami linebacker Jon Beason said. "We like that."

Virginia Tech, Clemson, Boston College, Georgia Tech -- and the Seminoles, of course -- all appear to have enough talent to contend along with the Hurricanes for top honors.

"I think the league's very strong," Miami coach Larry Coker said. "I think it's good. I expected that and I really think it is, from top to bottom, a very strong, very sound league."

Coker will get a great feel for how strong it is on Sept. 4, when his team hosts Florida State in the last Labor Day matchup -- for the foreseeable future, anyway -- between the Sunshine State rivals.

With Florida State expected by many to win the Atlantic Division and Miami the consensus pick to win the Coastal title, it means the teams could square off again in Jacksonville on Dec. 2 for the league's overall title -- a game the Seminoles won last year, upsetting Virginia Tech 27-22.

Bowden would love to see that happen, of course. But the winningest coach in major college football history knows it's hardly going to be an easy road.

"We've been in the conference, what, 14 years? It's twice as hard to win now as it was when we got in," Bowden said. "Twice as hard. ... The conference has gotten tough. We had four first-rounders and lost five ball games. You can get beat every Saturday, or any Saturday you walk out there, in this conference."

A capsule look at the teams in their predicted order of finish:

Atlantic

FLORIDA STATE -- Bobby Bowden must replace 14 starters from last season's ACC champions, including three defensive stars who went in the first 14 selections of the NFL draft -- and that doesn't include Antonio Cromartie, who went No. 19 after missing 2005 because of injury. ... QB Drew Weatherford was the first freshman in league history to lead the ACC in total offense, and topped all rookies nationally in passing yards (3,208) and touchdown passes (18).

CLEMSON -- After opening with Florida Atlantic, the Tigers start league play with trips to Boston College and Florida State, possibly setting the tone for the season. ... RB James Davis (879 yards) is coming off an ACC rookie of the year season, and with QB Charlie Whitehurst gone, Davis will be asked to carry a bigger load. ... DE Gaines Adams leads experienced defense. ... K Jad Dean is one of the league's best.

BOSTON COLLEGE -- Priority one: Finding who will replace DE Mathias Kiwanuka and WR Will Blackmon, part of a departing class that combined to make 286 starts for the Eagles. ... QB Matt Ryan was 5-0 as a starter last season. ... Nonconference schedule isn't exactly overpowering; opponents Central Michigan, BYU, Maine and Buffalo combined to go 18-27 last season.

MARYLAND -- QB Sam Hollenbach could blossom; he completed 61 percent of his passes in '05 for 2,539 yards and 13 touchdowns -- but also had 15 interceptions. Having four returning offensive line starters should help. ... RB Lance Ball emerged as an elite back late in '05, finishing with 903 yards. ... Early road slate -- West Virginia, Georgia Tech and Virginia -- is tough.

N.C. STATE -- DE Mario Williams went No. 1 overall in the NFL draft, and Chuck Amato's Wolfpack lost two other defensive starters who went in the opening round. ... A 5-1 finish to last season should provide some momentum going into 2006. ... QB Marcus Stone took over as the starter to spearhead the late-season winning run, and has three solid runners behind him to help take some pressure off his arm.

WAKE FOREST -- Most returning starters (18) in the ACC, and early schedule looks favorable with Syracuse, Duke and Liberty all visiting in September. ... Problem is, among the few departed starters are RB Chris Barclay (113 yards per game last season, league player of the year), QB Cory Randolph and P Ryan Plackemeier (Division I-A best average of 47.2 yards per kick).

Coastal

MIAMI -- Doubters are everywhere, questioning Larry Coker's job security and a perceived lack of playmaking. The Hurricanes still are a popular pick to win the ACC for the first time, with QB Kyle Wright and TE Greg Olsen perhaps set to emerge as big-time stars. ... S Brandon Meriweather and LB Jon Beason lead a defense that ranked among the nation's best in '05 and could be better. Plus, Miami plays five of its first six at home -- and gets rivals Florida State and Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl, too.

VIRGINIA TECH -- Either Sean Glennon or Cory Holt should emerge as the replacement for QB Marcus Vick, who was dismissed after last season. Whoever gets the nod will probably often look to gamebreaker WR Eddie Royal. ... Defending Coastal champs lost several key players from nation's top-ranked defense in '05. ... Hokies play all four nonconference games at home, against Northeastern, Cincinnati, Southern Mississippi and Kent.

GEORGIA TECH -- Notre Dame visits Sept. 2, part of season-opening four-game homestand for Chan Gailey's club. ... Yellow Jackets may have more experience on offense than any team in the ACC, with preseason league player of the year WR Calvin Johnson, QB Reggie Ball and four offensive linemen among eight returning starters. ... Johnson is only 275 yards shy of the career 2,000-yard mark.

NORTH CAROLINA -- Coach John Bunting says there's more talent at skill positions than at any time in his UNC tenure; with QB Matt Baker and WR Jarwarski Pollock among those gone, he'll find out quickly if his assessment is correct. ... LB Larry Edwards has 12 games of double-digit tackles in his career. ... Heels visit Clemson, Miami, Virginia, Duke and Notre Dame this season.

VIRGINIA -- Senior QB Christian Olsen -- who threw 11 passes last season -- enters the year as the projected starter. "I have one chance," he said. ... CB Marcus Hamilton led the ACC with six interceptions last season. ... Last three games look brutal -- at Florida State, home for Miami, then at Virginia Tech.

DUKE -- Losing QB Zack Asack (plagarism-related suspension) for the season only makes life that much tougher for Ted Roof's club. Asack is one of 13 starters not back this season for a team coming off a 1-10 campaign. ... Blue Devils have been under. 500 for 11 consecutive seasons, and are 3-45 in ACC games since 2000.