Is the dynasty dead? Yeah, go ahead and believe that. Is it at least dying? No, it’s just getting over a really bad cold.

The 2001 season will be remembered as the one that Florida State didn’t win the ACC Championship for the first time since joining the league in 1992. The one in which the Seminoles, for the first time in 14 years, didn’t win at least 10 games. The one in which they, for the first time in 14 years, didn’t finish in the nation’s Top 5. The one in which the team’s 54-game home unbeaten and 37-game winning streaks came to an end with not one, but two losses at Doak Campbell Stadium.

The Seminoles finished the season at 8-4, thanks to a win over Virginia Tech in the Gator Bowl, but it was the first time since 1997 that FSU didn’t play for the national championship.

The four losses equaled the number Florida State had lost in the previous four years. The Seminoles lost twice to ACC opponents, including their first ever home loss to a conference opponent, a 34-28 loss to long-time FSU assistant Chuck Amato and N.C. State that stunned the home crowd. Maryland won the league’s outright title, the first time since the Seminoles joined the ACC in 1992 that FSU didn’t claim at least a share of the conference crown. But none of those things mean that it’s time to start writing obituaries for Bobby Bowden’s program.

"Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it wasn’t taken down in a day either," sophomore quarterback Chris Rix told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "This dynasty is not over."

In fact, it is about to surge one more time.

And there will be plenty of players waiting to take their turns, after Bowden took in another well-decorated haul of high school recruits. A total of six Parade All-Americans, including the nation’s top-rated tailback in Lorenzo Booker (5-11, 178) of Ventura, Calif., signed with the Seminoles.

It was a consensus top 10 class nationally, one that made Bowden downright giddy with anticipation.

"This is the kind of stuff that keeps you in coaching," said Bowden on signing day. "If we have lousy recruiting seasons, we’d be having lousy teams, and I’d be outta here. This is exciting. This is invigorating."

Bowden knew that it would be tough going from one of the oldest quarterbacks in college football history to one of the youngest, and he wasn’t sure how Rix would handle the challenge.

Rix (6-4, 210) had been an all-star recruit, but so is every other player who signs a scholarship with the Seminoles. He had only been in the program one year, red-shirting in 2000 while Weinke was working his way to the Heisman Trophy.

"Last year he had talent, but it was inexperienced talent," Bowden said. "This year he’s got year-under-his-belt talent."

Bowden considered switching to Adrian McPherson (6-4, 180), a first-year player who became the first high school player in the history of Florida to be selected Mr. Football and Mr. Basketball in the same season. Bowden sent McPherson in after Rix threw a pair of interceptions in the first half against Virginia, and he threw two touchdowns in the second half.

Rix held on to his starting job, and began to flourish. He was obviously more comfortable in the offense and he made fewer mistakes. He also started putting up big numbers, throwing for at least 300 yards in four of the Seminoles’ final six games. Rix finished the season with 24 touchdown passes.

He had 359 yards against eventual ACC champion Maryland, 369 yards against Clemson and 302 in a loss to N.C. State. Rix capped off his freshman year by throwing for 326 yards in Gator Bowl against Virginia Tech, including a 77-yard touchdown pass.

But the solid finish didn’t mean Rix’s job was secure. The Seminoles had four scholarship quarterbacks rotating in spring practice, with Wyatt Sexton (6-3, 185), son of FSU assistant coach Billy Sexton, arriving in the fall.

McPherson and junior college transfer Fabian Walker (6-2, 225), a junior, challenged for the job in the spring, but Rix’s experience won out.

Walker, a highly touted player coming out of high school, sat out last season after transferring from junior college.

Red-shirt freshman Matt Henshaw (6-4, 208) is the other scholarship quarterback who competed in the spring.

So how soon will Booker become college football’s next great running back?

That, of course, is what everyone expects from the nation’s top recruit, who the Seminoles nabbed during a nationally televised announcement on national signing day. The California tailback chose the Seminoles over Notre Dame, Southern California and Washington, among dozens of other semifinalists.

Wait a minute. The Seminoles do have two upper-class tailbacks who were similarly regarded when they made their decisions to attend Florida State. Junior Greg Jones (6-1, 243) and senior Nick Maddox (6-0, 200) are a dangerous platoon, with Jones the punishing runner and Maddox the pass-catching threat out of the backfield.

And, just to make the mix more interesting, they were both pushed in the spring by red-shirt freshman Willie Reid (5-10, 175), who sat out last season after suffering a broken leg.

In other words, Bowden has plenty of options to run behind an offensive line that returns six players with starting experience. So many, in fact, that first-team Parade All-America tailback Eric Shelton, one of the top signees in last year’s recruiting class, left Florida State to transfer to Louisville.

They fell early and often last fall, at a rate Bowden had never seen before.

First, Morgan suffered a season-ending knee injury, forcing Bowden to move Anquan Boldin back to wide receiver. Boldin, who had been recruited as a wideout, was competing with Chris Rix for the starting quarterback spot, a competition that turned out closer than some expected.

But Boldin also suffered a season-ending knee injury in preseason drills.

When freshman tailback Reid, who was moved after the other two injuries, broke his leg only days after making the switch to receiver and was also lost for the season, Bowden was about ready to tell everyone to stop drinking the water around camp. Something was obviously wrong.

Departed Javon Walker and Atrews Bell joined with Talman Gardner and a bevy of young receivers stepped into the void created by those injuries, the Seminole receiving corps wasn’t nearly as deep or dangerous as usual.

Both Boldin (6-2, 205), a junior, and Robert Morgan (6-0, 180), a senior, were limited in what they could do in the spring, but both on course to return near the tops of their games in the fall.

A pair of freshmen, Craphonso Thorpe (6-2, 175) and P.K. Sam (6-3, 185), got their first taste of college experience last year and were both listed as starters coming out of the spring and heading into their sophomore seasons.

That will likely change, as long as Morgan and Boldin are at 100 percent in the fall. But Thorpe and Sam were both important weapons in the development of Rix as the ACC’s Rookie of the Year. Thorpe caught 15 passes for 286 yards and was the team’s leading kickoff returner. Sam caught 11 passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns.

The Seminoles will also add four newcomers into the mix at wide receiver. Transfer Chauncey Stovall (6-2, 200) is a junior college All-American who should help immediately.

Lorne Sam (6-2, 180) is the younger brother of P.K. He was a quarterback in high school and has been promised a chance to compete for that position, but with five scholarship players there already, he looks destined to be a receiver.

Finally, Chris Davis (6-0, 170) was a quarterback at St. Petersburg Catholic School, but he will be a wide receiver in college, and he is already getting favorable comparisons to Warrick.

Bowden is looking for more blocking from his tight ends, and will likely move an offensive lineman there this fall to improve the blocking of the current tight ends, senior starter Patrick Hughes (6-5, 253) and sophomore reserve Paul Irons (6-2, 255).

One of the reasons Bowden believes his offense will be more productive is the experience he has returning on the offensive line -- a total of six players who have 75 career starts between them.

The unquestioned leader of the line -- and perhaps the offense -- is senior All-America tackle Brett Williams (6-6, 317), who enters his fourth year as a starter. Last year, Williams won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy, as the ACC’s best blocker, the fifth Seminole player in the last eight years to win the award.

The other tackle position was hotly contested in the spring between two players who both have starting experience. Sophomore Ray Willis (6-6 288) started at tight tackle after regular starter Todd Williams (6-6, 305), a senior, moved over to split tackle after Brett Williams went down. Willis was impressive enough in his starts against Florida and Georgia Tech to be listed as the starter at tight tackle, with Todd Williams as his backup. But Williams missed about half of spring drills with a separated shoulder, something the coaches will have to monitor in preseason practice.

The three interior players are seniors who started all 12 games last year -- center Antoine Mirambeau (6-4, 285) and guards Montrae Holland (6-3, 325) and Milford Brown (6-4, 319).

Holland, a second-team All-ACC selection, is perhaps the most dominating of the trio, though he has been hampered with injuries over the course of his career.

The key for Bowden and offensive line coach Jimmy Heggins is making sure the sophomore and red-shirt freshmen reserves get plenty of time on the field, because they will be looking for an entirely new lineup next year.

Bowden spent the 2000 season worrying about whether any of the three place-kickers he used could make extra points. Field goals seemed pretty much out of the question.

But the coach brought in sophomore Xavier Beitia (5-10, 200) last season to remedy that problem, which he did by making 13-of-14 field-goal attempts and 44-of-48 PATs. He added three more field goals in the Gator Bowl.

For years, winning a starting job as a Florida State defensive end was practically a free ticket to the NFL. The Seminoles had five ends drafted in the first round from 1995-2001, thanks primarily to their ability to put pressure on the quarterback.

In 1996, Peter Boulware had 19 sacks and teammate Reinard Wilson had 13.5, and both later became first-round picks. Two years ago Jamal Reynolds had 12 of the Seminoles’ 45 sacks.

But last year, the Seminole pass rush was tepid, at best. They had only 14 sacks all season long, an all-time low under Bowden. They tied for last in the ACC, with Duke, of all teams.

"We need progress there," Bowden said.

Obviously, the emphasis for new defensive ends coach Jody Allen, who was elevated from graduate assistant to replace retired veteran coach Jim Gladden, will be for his guys to put more pressure on the quarterback. You know, to return to the glory years of the Seminole defensive end.

That legacy has been a bit of a burden for the current players, which is why senior Alonzo Jackson (6-5, 255) sounded a little testy in the spring.

Like the offensive line, the defensive front returns all of last year’s starters, beginning with Jackson on the left side and junior Kevin Emanuel (6-4, 258) on the right side. Emanuel had only one sack last year with 36 tackles.

But Bowden is obviously concerned about depth on the line, now and in the future. He signed six players on the defensive front, and at least one will contribute almost immediately. High school All-America Kamerion Wimbley (6-4, 225) of Kansas enrolled at FSU in January and is listed on the third team of the depth chart, behind junior Charles Howard (6-3, 250).

Sophomore Eric Moore (6-4, 234), listed behind Jackson, played some as a freshman last year, but he will have to be more consistent this season to see extensive action. Red-shirt freshman Willie Jones (6-1, 200), one of the top recruits in last year’s class, was hampered by a knee injury last year, but should be ready to contribute this season.

Senior defensive end Eric Powell (6-4, 270), suspended from the team briefly during the spring, hopes to return full strength in the fall. Powell suffered a gunshot wound during an alleged burglary attempt last September. He is expected to be cleared to play in the fall.

The Seminoles interior line is as strong as ever, thanks to the return of junior All-American Darnell Dockett (6-4, 285) at tackle to continue his impressive streak of 22 consecutive starts. Dockett sat out spring practice after surgeries on his knee and Achilles tendon in the off-season. He is expected to be back at full strength in the fall, and that spells trouble for opposing offenses.

The Seminoles have never lacked for stars in the linebacking corps and this year will be no different, with juniors Michael Boulware (6-3, 225) and Kendyll Pope (6-2, 210) both back to wreak havoc on opposing offenses.

Boulware, the younger brother of former FSU All-America defensive end Peter Boulware, certainly has the pedigree to be a superstar. He also has the speed and power to be a great strong-side linebacker, as he showed last year when he returned a fumble and an interception for touchdowns.

Boulware started every game as a sophomore, ranking fourth with 81 tackles and tying for the team lead with three interceptions.

Pope sat out of spring practice, along with starting defensive tackle Dockett, after surgery to repair damage in both shoulders. He will return at full strength in the fall at weak-side linebacker, where he started all 12 games in 2001. He was second on the team with 113 tackles last year, even though he did not play in the final two games.

Bowden has faith that senior Jerel Hudson (6-3, 277) can step into the middle-linebacker spot vacated by Bradley Jennings after last season -- as long as Hudson can keep his weight down. Hudson’s target weight is around 260, which means he needs to trim 15 pounds by the time the Seminoles play Iowa State in late August.

Hudson started two games last year, setting a career-high with 12 tackles in his first career starter against Georgia Tech. But after the three starters, the Seminoles are a little concerned about depth. Junior Allen Augustin (6-1, 221) is behind Pope, followed by sophomore Marcelo Church (6-1, 210).

Among that crew, Augustin is the only one with significant playing experience, after stepping into the starting lineup in the final two games after Pope’s original injury.

Junior college transfer Nate Hardage (6-2, 230) battled Hudson for the starting middle linebacker position in the spring, after enrolling in January and going through all spring conditioning and practices. Hardage, who played two years at Southwest Mississippi Community College, originally signed with the Seminoles out of high school but did not make NCAA academic requirements.

There are two other top-notch recruits joining the program that should keep the Seminoles well stocked for the future. They could also help out immediately. North Carolina native A.J. Nicholson (6-2, 232), whose father played at UNC, spurned the Tar Heels in favor of the Seminoles. He should be available immediately to provide the depth at the strong-side position that last year’s team was sorely lacking.

Defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews’ biggest concern is reshaping a secondary that allowed 230.4 yards per game last year, the most in school history.

Part of that was because of an ineffective rush that netted only 14 sacks, but the cover cornerbacks gave up a lot of big plays in 2001. The Seminoles had only 15 interceptions last year, the fewest since 1996, and only three of those were by the cornerbacks.

Both starters, senior Stanford Samuels (5-10, 180) and junior Rufus Brown (5-9, 183), are both back, but got pressure in the spring by junior Malcolm Tatum (6-1, 175) and sophomore Bryant McFadden (6-0, 176), two taller and faster cornerbacks who played plenty last year.

Sophomore Leroy Smith (5-10, 176) is also likely to challenge the starters. Senior Jared Hetzel (5-10, 166) is another option.

One of Bowden’s biggest worries this season is safety -- he has to replace both starters and his top reserve from a year ago. Bowden has a trio of untested sophomores -- Kyler Hall (6-1, 185), Claudius Osei (6-0, 200) and Jerome Carter (6-0, 208) -- as his primary options, with little other experience behind them.

Sophomore Dominic Robinson (6-1, 192), a third-team cornerback, could be moved to safety in the fall to improve the Seminoles’ depth there.

After losing his job as place-kicker last year to then-freshman Beitia, Chance Gwaltney (5-10, 175) resurfaced as the Seminoles’ starting punter. He made all 53 of the team’s punts, averaging 40.1 yards per kick.

The former walk-on kicker’s numbers weren’t particularly impressive -- he finished fourth in the ACC in punting average and the Seminoles were seventh in net punting at 32.5 yards -- and he had two kicks blocked. But he did drop 13 of his punts inside the 20.

Dominic Robinson will return punts again, after averaging 10.1 yards per return as a freshman. Maddox also shared those duties, running back seven kicks for an average of 9.3 yards, and freshman Sam took a few turns also.

Craphonso Thorpe averaged 21.6 yards per return last year, but will look to improve on that average in his second season since he was ranked seventh in the ACC. Sam also returned a half-dozen kickoffs last year.

Nothing put a charge in Bowden’s old boots like the adrenaline surge he got from his 2002 recruiting class. And why not? The Seminoles’ sub-standard season certainly didn’t have any ill effects in bringing the best talent in the nation to Tallahassee.

In fact, the 8-4 year may have helped the Seminoles land six Parade All-Americans, all of whom believe they can help Bowden’s poor, down-trodden program lift itself up from the embarrassment of winning only eight games.

"This would have to be one of the most exciting recruiting years I have ever been a part of," Bowden said on signing day. "There are so many good football players out there, good prospects out there.

"We felt like we would get our share, and I think we did."

The Seminoles pretty much got the entire ACC’s share of top-line players, with most of them making their announcement either on or after national signing day.

Tailback Booker was the key recruit. He made his nationally televised announcement while Bowden was having dinner with son Steven, and it surprised even the old coach.

Booker will try to earn his way on the field as a freshman, but will be playing behind Maddox and Jones.

Bowden still has questions about his team going into this season, but there aren’t nearly as many as last year, when there was almost a total rollover in personnel. The 2002 edition is blessed with plenty of experience and still has more talent than any other school in the ACC.

There are some problems on defense concerning the safeties and the cornerbacks and the linebacker depth, but nothing that can’t be solved by plugging in a few freshmen who were Parade All-Americas last year.

On offense, the Seminoles’ biggest questions are at tight end and fullback, two non-glamour blocking positions that can surely be covered by an offensive line that has six returning starters.

The biggest need for this year’s Seminoles may be leadership. Defensively, Boulware and Jackson are the motivational leaders. Offensively, that responsibility would normally fall to the quarterback. But because Rix is a red-shirt sophomore he will continue to rely on upperclassmen like Brett Williams, Morgan and Boldin.

Perhaps the larger question is just how long Bowden, who will turn 73 in November, wants to keep building his national powers. He said last year at an annual gathering of ACC coaches that he’s thought about retiring in recent years, but that he didn’t want to go out after a down season.

He did say that if he ever did have a down season -- like, say, 8-4 -- he would definitely want to return so he could build a national power. If he was able to take that team to the top of the polls, he might then consider stepping down, while still at the top of his game.

The question will continue to come up, obviously, but so far Bowden says as long as he’s healthy and having fun, he will keep the headphones on. But we’ll see what happens if the Seminoles are as good as they are supposed to be this season.