Quarterbacks
Edge: Florida State
Chris Weinke has the advantage for a lot of reasons over Clemson's Woodrow Dantzler. Weinke is more experienced and has recently shown some intangibles, proving he could play without Peter Warrick in the lineup. He marshalled the Seminoles offense, showing some leadership. He will have to show more leadership Saturday in a situation where his head coach is coaching against his son. But now he will have Warrick as a target again. Weinke has proven he can take the reins under adversity. Dantzler is a better running threat than Weinke, but he doesn't have an overall advantage.

	GILMORE'S GRADES
	Florida State		Clemson
	X	QB
	X	RB	X
	X	WR/TE
	X	OL
	X	DL
	X	LB
		DB	X
	X	Special teams
	X	Coaching

Running backs
Edge: Even
I think Clemson has done a better than expected job running the ball because they spread their receivers out, opening up good running lanes. They are averaging 139 yards a game rushing. The starting running backs, Clemson's Travis Zachery and Florida State's Travis Minor, compare favorably. I don't think the Seminoles have run as consistently and as effectively as expected. Minor can have a big game, but the Tigers have been more consistent.

Receivers/Tight ends
Edge: Florida State
Without Warrick in the lineup, I would have given the edge to the Tigers for a couple of reasons. Rod Gardner (44 receptions) and Brian Wofford (34) have done well in adapting to the offense. They may not be as accomplished as receivers you'd like long term or maybe even professionally, but they have been productive. Whereas before, you wondered which receiver would step up for Florida State, Warrick's game-breaking presence now makes that question a non-issue. Still, Laveraneus Coles is off the team, and Ron Dugans is dinged up. Next to Warrick, the receiver who may be the most reliable is freshman Anquan Boldin. The Seminoles were starting to highlight him more in Warrick's absence.

Offensive line
Edge: Florida State
Clemson can't match players the caliber of guard Jason Whitaker and tackle Tarlos Thomas up front. Florida State has a few players who will play in the NFL someday. The pass protection has been much better for the Seminoles, who are throwing for 304.7 yards a game. Clemson's pass system has benefitted from the same type of protection.

Defensive line
Edge: Florida State
This category is no contest. The Seminoles stout line of Corey Simon, Jamal Reynolds, Roland Seymour and Jerry Johnson allows only 80.3 yards a game, ninth best in the country. They can simply choke a team's running game when they have to. Clemson, meanwhile, is allowing 158.5 rushing yards a game.

Linebackers
Edge: Florida State
The Seminoles' front seven is much better than Clemson's. Tommy Polley and Brian Allen, the team's top two leading tacklers, do a nice job. The whole group has great speed, something the Tigers can't match. I see the Seminoles' front seven absolutely shutting down the Tigers' running game.

Defensive backs
Edge: Clemson
Florida State hasn't played as well as expected in the secondary. Cornerback Mario Edwards has not had the kind of year he wants to have. The Seminoles are giving up almost 230 yards a game passing. Most teams have been able to blitz the Florida State secondary through the air. Clemson, however, has the No. 1 rated pass defense in the ACC. Free safety Robert Carswell is the leader of the secondary. Plus, keep in mind, the Tigers should be playing against a less experienced group of receivers for Florida State.

Special teams
Edge: Florida State
Clemson can't match the speed on Florida State's coverage teams. That's where the advantage shows up because it will give the Seminoles the ability to shorten the field for themselves and make it longer for Clemson. They can make the Tigers have to go 70-80 yards to score touchdowns. In addition, every time the Seminoles play, they have an advantage with place-kicker Sebastian Janikowski.

Coaching
Edge: Florida State
The intangibles here come into play. Tommy Bowden should be very loose. He has absolutely nothing to lose. He is at home, playing in front of a national TV audience. People expect him to get drubbed. So he can take chances. If the Tigers lose by 30 points, so what? I expect him to be carefree and gamble on a fourth down or try a trick play where otherwise he would not. On the other side, I would expect Bobby Bowden to be a little tight. There have been a lot of distractions this week, between the father-son matchup and the Warrick situation. The saving grace for Bobby is that he has two strong coordinators in Mickey Andrews and Mark Richt who will be making most of the decisions. I would assume they have been less affected by the family issue and Warrick. So I would give them the edge.