Here they come again.

Chief Osceola and Florida State are once again the talk of the nation. Doug Benc/Getty Images

Those Florida State Seminoles, all full of August strut, are back in the preseason top 10. War chants, burning spears and Chief Osceola are all the rage. This is the year for garnet and gold, we're told. The year the Noles are back.

Have we heard that one before?

How many times?

Florida State may well be returning to dominance -- but for once can we make the Seminoles prove it before giving it to them? They're ranked No. 5 in the nation, despite failing to win the underwhelming Atlantic Coast Conference in 2010, losing a first-round draft pick at quarterback and replacing him with a guy who has thrown six career touchdowns and 10 career interceptions.

Over the past 10 years, the Noles have finished below their preseason USA Today coaches' poll ranking seven times. And not just a little below. Every one of those seven seasons they've finished at least seven spots lower than they began.

Therefore Florida State wins the award as the ultimate "Tease Team" of the past decade, often tempting us to believe it is better than it turns out to be. Since 2001, nobody has a wider gap between expectation and performance than the Seminoles.

But they have plenty of company. The rest of the Top 10 Tease Teams:

Miami

The annual August tease: We've got our swagger back!

The annual fall reality: Swagger doesn't equate to a 20-21 record in ACC play and two fired coaches over the previous five years.

The U hasn't finished a season with a victory since 2006, when it took down Nevada by a point in the MPC Computers Bowl. Good luck finding that epic moment among the program's historic high points. The U hasn't played in a BCS bowl since it was a member of the Big East. It has some proving to do to get off this list in 2011.

Dabo Swinney and Clemson haven't found the success that they're looking for. Joshua S. Kelly/US Presswire

Clemson

The annual August tease: We're going to get back to the glory days! Perry Tuttle! Homer Jordan! Danny Ford! It's 1981 all over again!

The annual fall reality: Um, 1981 was a really long time ago. The Tigers have won two of their last 14 games against AP Top 25 opponents, by a combined four points over poser North Carolina State in 2010 and fellow Tease Team Miami in 2009.

To date, fourth-year head coach Dabo Swinney's highlight is winning the 2009 Atlantic Division. That was helped by a six-game winning streak over Wake Forest, Miami, Coastal Carolina, Florida State, North Carolina State and Virginia. Combined record of those six that year: 34-39.

Not much on the Dabo résumé worth rubbing Howard's Rock over.

Virginia Tech

The annual August tease: We're a national title contender!

The annual fall reality: They can't beat anyone in the top 10, and they'll cough up one abject hairball every year.

The Hokies are always good, but never good enough to crack the glass ceiling between them and the true power programs. They lose the big games -- but that's not all. They also lose at least one game they should win. Last year it was James Madison; in 2009 it was to 15.5-point underdog North Carolina; in '08 it was to 9.5-point dog East Carolina; in '07 it was to 3.5-point dog Kansas; in '06 it was to 10-point dog Georgia Tech. And so forth.

Astute readers will notice a pattern through the first four Tease Teams. Yes, they all belong to the ACC, in which the entire season is just a tease for basketball.

Michigan

The annual August tease: As the winningest program in college football history, we never lose our place among the elite!