Courtesy of the Kidz 1st Fund:

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida State University Coach Jimbo Fisher, his wife Candi and their two sons will be delivering a check to the University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital for Fanconi anemia research. The presentation will take place during the first half, at the Williams Arena at the University of Minnesota vs. Nebraska basketball game on Saturday, March 3.

Joining the Fishers will be Rebecca Kill, wife of University of Minnesota head football coach, Jerry Kill, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder and leading Fanconi anemia researchers Dr. Margaret MacMillan and Dr. John Wagner. 

In March 2011, the Fishers' youngest son, Ethan, was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder called Fanconi anemia (FA).  Soon after in August 2011, Kidz1stFund™ was founded with the mission of raising money for Fanconi anemia research with the goal of finding a cure.

Six months after the formation of the fund, the Fishers will be delivering their first major donation to the University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital for Fanconi anemia research.

What: Kidz1stFund check presentation to the University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital

Who: Florida State University Football Coach Jimbo Fisher & Candi Fisher

Rebecca Kill, wife of University of Minnesota head football coach, Jerry Kill

Minnesota Vikings Quarterback Christian Ponder

Dr. Margaret MacMillan and Dr. John Wagner

When: Saturday, March 3, 2012 during the first half of the University of Minnesota vs. Nebraska basketball game

Beginning March 12, fans can log on to the EA SPORTS NCAA Football Facebook page to vote for one of eight Heisman Trophy winners to accompany Griffin III on the cover of NCAA Football 13. 

The candidates include former University of Southern California running back Marcus Allen, former Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie, former The Ohio State University running back Eddie George, former The University of Michigan wide receiver Desmond Howard, former Oklahoma State University running back Barry Sanders, former University of Georgia running back Herschel Walker, former Florida State University quarterback Charlie Ward and former University of Houston quarterback Andre Ware.

Many of Florida State's games have aired online at ESPN3.com this year and will continue to do so. Now, Florida State fans have the opportunity to access those same contests through the Florida State Seminoles Facebook page.

Through a partnership with ESPN, the same content streamed lived through ESPN3.com can now be accessed by "liking" the Seminoles on Facebook.

Here's a link to the new ESPN3 player on the 'Noles' Facebook page as well as a link to a USA Today story about the integration.

I asked FSU fans on Twitter what they think of Florida State's 2012 football schedule after it was released early Monday afternoon.

Here are some of the tweets I received, which are mostly positive about what FSU faces in this season:

@Heelsbbfanatic: "11-0 baby BCS bound"

@seanr19: "I see the chance at a bcs title game hinging upon the Thursday game @ va tech"

@bllawson2010: "I think it's a great schedule can't wait to get my season tics!!! #GONOLES"

@DakotaNole: "Place your bets on the perfect season now, that schedule just moved FSU up preseason polls 5-6 spots"

@BrixxisKING: "Non conference schedule isn't very tough,with EJ healthy all season,we should be in play for a BCS birth"

@LMaez44: "4 home games will get our oline good away games aren't too tough w bc/duke. vt in Nov could be tough D will have to step up"

@_ItsOriginal_: "Undefeated. Seriously."

@jmnpb: "pleasantly surprised. Happy to be "shielded" before Clemson, VT, and UF games"

@NotJimboFisher: "Two words: national title."

@magicfreak81: "I feel like the most difficult games are Clemson and at VT, but likely VT is after a BYE week, lots of time to prepare #noles"

@timothymobley1: "only time will tell for me about that schedule"

@JordanaMarieB: "games in sept (should be) cake walks and only uf in nov. Clem and fl are the only good home games"

@DidieratDoak: "sets up nicely no excuses should be well prepared for big games concerns are bsburg @maryland for cold nov games,overall good"

@Jonesboy9191: "I don't think we should lose a game. Vtech and clemson should be the toughest game this season. Should hear championship talk"

@bernarddcoxiii: "should go undefeated but I would like to see a little hard schedule"

@domamoroso: "overall good schedule, only changes would be flip flopping Maryland and wake. va tech should be sat. primetime?"

@bishopnl: "a little frightened of that Thursday night in Blacksburg. That place is bananas on a Thursday."

@MPCharles25: "opening with 4 straight home games with 2 vs FBS schools? When did we become Gainesville?"

@wingt4lyf: "It should make for an interesting football season. It should be called a revenge tour!! Wake forest, clemson, virgina tech"

@JScott1023: "South Florida, VA Tech scare me and @Miami tho it shouldnt"

@Ray_chulll: "besides roasting in Doak all through Sept, it's a nice sched! Bye week b4 Thursday, Clem, UM, UF spread out, #ACCCG this yr!"

@CheyneMills: "hate playing Murray state and savannah state wish we could at least had FBS opponents instead. And that Thursday game scary."

@StevenCollier82: "awesome schedule...10-2 at worst, I expect 11-1, won't rule out 12-0...."

@jcutcher88: "i think the VT game will be a good one"

Florida State football and baseball signee Jameis Winston is one of six student-athletes to receive this year's Franklin D. Watkins Memorial Award.

The annual honor is presented each year to the top African-American male high-school scholar athlete in the country by the National Alliance of African American Athletes.

The six finalists were chosen with emphasis placed on unweighted GPA, extra curricular activities, community service, letters of recommendation and personal statements. Other honorees included Alexander Carter, Ashburn, Va.; Zachery Banner, Tacoma, Wash.; Jonathan Curry, Phenix City, Ala., Keith Marshall, Raleigh, N.C.; and Deion Williams, Long Beach, Calif.

Winston, a five-star quarterback recruit and elite baseball prospect, signed with the Seminoles earlier this month. At FSU, the Hueytown, Ala. native will compete for both Jimbo Fisher's football team and Mike Martin's baseball team.

Winston joins former 'Noles safety Myron Rolle as Seminoles that have earned this prestigious award.

The National Alliance of African American Athletes on Winston:

USA Today Scholar Athlete, Academic Excellence Honor Roll, Max Prep Sports Scholar Athlete, Hueytown Community Tutor, Hueytown Youth Baseball Instructor, Alabama All State, 1st Team All American Max Prep Sports, #1 Quarterback in the Nation USA Today, Elite 11 MVP, Baseball All American, #4 Football Player in the Nation, and Under Armour All American while maintaining a 4.0 GPA at Hueytown High School.

Courtesy of the ACC:

We at the Atlantic Coast Conference realize that there's tremendous anticipation for the release of the 2012 ACC Football schedule. The conference office and member institutions are equally in anticipation and are taking steps to expedite finding appropriate solutions. As has been documented, there are a number of unusual circumstances beyond the control of the ACC and its member schools that have directly impacted a number of our school's nonconference schedules, which in turn effects the development and completion of the overall schedule. Please know that all parties are working diligently and we appreciate everyone's continued patience. 

The No. 15/17 Florida State men's basketball team is set to host rival Miami Saturday at 1 p.m. and tickets are going fast.

As of Friday morning, there were only a few hundred public tickets available for purchase and a limited number of student tickets as the game between the Seminoles and Hurricanes approaches a sell out.

If you haven't gotten your public or student tickets yet, quickly do so by visiting FSU's Online Ticket Office or by calling 1-888-FSU-NOLE.

I always enjoy getting questions from Florida State fans on Twitter and today @NoahWilson had a great one. "Have they announced which players redshirted in 2011," he asked, referencing FSU's football team.

While there is no official announcement made regarding redshirts by head coach Jimbo Fisher, we can take a look at the participation chart from last season and make some educated guesses by looking at the freshmen players that did not play in any games.

Here's a list of the first-year 'Noles that did not take the field in 2011:

1. Kelvin Benjamin
2. Eric Beverly
3. Lamarcus Brutus
4. Ruben Carter
5. Jacob Coker
6. Nile Lawrence-Stample
7. Derrick Mitchell
8. Giorgio Newberry
9. Henry Orelus
10. Trey Pettis

Courtesy of the Atlantic Coast Conference:

Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. - Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John Swofford announced today the future scheduling formats as approved by the ACC's Faculty Athletic Representatives and Athletics Directors.

The announcement was made following the annual ACC Winter Meetings and will go in effect once Pittsburgh and Syracuse become playing members in the conference.

"We have been engaged in discussions on the various options for integrating Pitt and Syracuse since early fall," said ACC Commissioner John Swofford. "It's a tremendous tribute to the leadership at our schools that we will be able to seamlessly add Pitt and Syracuse at the appropriate time when they become full playing members."

A breakdown of the future scheduling models include:

Football:
The Atlantic and Coastal divisions will remain the same with Syracuse joining the Atlantic and Pitt joining the Coastal. The current primary crossover partners will remain consistent with Syracuse and Pitt becoming primary crossover partners with each other.

When Pitt and Syracuse join the ACC, the league will play a nine-game conference schedule. The format will consist of each team playing all six in its division each year, plus its primary crossover partner each year and two rotating opponents from the opposite division. This six-year cycle allows each team to play each divisional opponent and its primary crossover partner six times (three home and three away) while also playing each rotating crossover opponent two times (one home and one away).

Men's and Women's Basketball:
As previously announced, the ACC will play an 18-game conference schedule beginning in 2012-13.

When Pitt and Syracuse join, each school will have one primary partner (Boston College and Syracuse; Clemson and Georgia Tech; Duke and North Carolina; Florida State and Miami; Maryland and Pitt; NC State and Wake Forest; Virginia and Virginia Tech).

The scheduling model will be based on a three-year cycle during which teams will play every league opponent at least once with the primary partners playing home and away annually while the other 12 rotate in groups of four: one year both home and away; one year at home only; and one year away only.  Over the course of the three-year cycle primary partners play a total of six times and all other conference opponents play four times.

The format allows each program to see opponents with more regularity and creates an increase in competitive balance throughout the teams.

It was determined that all 14 league members will continue to compete in the ACC Men's and Women's Tournaments and a decision on the Tournament formats will be announced at a later date.

Olympic Sports:
All team sports will continue to play each conference team at least once during the regular season. Baseball is the only exception as they currently don't play all conference opponents.

The league will continue to sponsor an ACC Championship event in all sports. The only exception will be volleyball, which will continue to recognize its champion from regular-season play.

The conference will sponsor an ACC Championship in the sport of gymnastics. There are currently three institutions that sponsor gymnastics (Maryland, North Carolina and NC State) and with the addition of Pitt, the ACC will have four programs, the necessary number in the league's bylaws to host a conference championship. The ACC previously sponsored a conference championship in gymnastics in 1984.

One of the fastest players in the nation, Ronald Darby -- a five-star prospect and No. 1-ranked cornerback recruit according to 247sports.com -- could also be a future track & field star at FSU in addition to what he accomplishes on the football field. The former Notre Dame commitment has the potential to play right away for FSU in the secondary or even on special teams.

Darby de-committed from the Fighting Irish on Jan. 8, coincidentally not too long after FSU defeated Notre Dame in the Champs Sports Bowl.

Date publicly committed to FSU: Feb. 1, 2012

What was said for Justin Shanks is also true for Dalvon Stuckey. The Defuniak Springs, Fla. native will make the short drive down Interstate-10 to Tallahassee where he joins one of the nation's best -- and now deepest -- defensive lines. 

If you like players staying true to their word, look no further than Stuckey. FSU's new defensive tackle was the second commitment for the 2012 class when he verbally pledged his allegiance to FSU way back in September of 2010.

Date publicly committed to FSU: Sept. 11, 2010

Like Telvin Smith was two years ago, Eligwe was rated by Rivals.com as the second-best high school linebacker in the state of Georgia as a senior.

And for good reason. Known for his explosiveness and speed, Eligwe was even used in the Wildcat formation in high school because of his ability to elude tacklers. He won't play offense at Florida State but -- like Smith -- could see himself work into the rotation at middle linebacker right away. Despite some late interest in Cal in which he originally announced that he would wait until Feb. 6 to sign his LOI, Eligwe went through with his original decision and signed with the 'Noles on Wednesday.

He joins REggie Northrup as FSU's two linebacker commits this season.

Date publicly committed to April 27, 2011

For a program that has never been considered a "tight end friendly" school, the 'Noles are quickly chaining that perception. A year after signing one of the nation's best at the position in Nick O'Leary, FSU's coaches did the same thing in 2012 with Christo Kourtzidis.

The California native will be no lower than third on the depth chart come fall camp as the Seminoles lost Beau Reliford and Ja'Baris Little to graduation. FSU utilized a three-man rotation last season and Kourtzidis will be part of that group along with O'Leary and Will Tye.

Date publicly committed to FSU: June 18, 2011

If FSU is getting bigger, stronger and deeper at defensive end, than the same is true at defensive tackle where Shanks joins the nation's No. 1 defensive tackle prospect, Eddie Williams.

At 6-foot-3 and 300-plus pounds, Shanks -- another Alabama native that the 'Noles plucked from the Yellowhammer state -- fits the mold of the transition that has taken place at that position the last few years in Tallahassee. Quick, undersized defensive tackles are a thing of the past for the 'Noles. Instead, the Shanks, Goldmans, Timmy Jernigans and Cameron Ervings of the world are the new wave of bull rushers in Florida's capitol city.

Date publicly committed to FSU: July 27, 2011

With the signing of Eddie Goldman, Florida State now has a two-year streak of signing the nation's best defensive tackle. And after getting Timmy Jernigan's signature last year and seeing how that worked out in his first year in the garnet and gold, FSU fans should be very happy.

Goldman is another potent weapon for defensive tackles coach Odell Haggins to utilize along a defensive line that was really, really good last year and figures to be great this season with the additions of so many talented signees.

Goldman had offers from every major program and was one of the most sought after prospects in the nation as a senior.

Date publicly committed to FSU: Feb. 1, 2012

Widely considered one of the top high school players in the entire nation, Mario Edwards, Jr. brings NFL-ready size to FSU's pass rush as a true freshman. The son of former 'Noles star Mario Edwards, the younger Seminole stands 6-foot-4 and just under 300 pounds.

He's listed in some recruiting databases as a defensive tackle, but Edwards has the quickness, agility and hands to play the end position in the defensive trenches. The top recruit in the talent-rich state of Texas this year, FSU had to beat out every program in the nation for Edwards' signature and he immediately upgrades a defensive pass rush that was already pretty stout without him.

In this case, the rich get richer.

Date publicly committed to FSU: Jan. 13, 2011

You've got to love loyalty. Chris Casher verbally committed to the Seminoles over a year ago and remained steadfast in that pledge despite the best recruiting efforts of in-state programs Alabama and Auburn, Georgia and many others.

FSU's No. 1 position of need entering the 2012 recruiting cycle was defensive end and Casher is one of several top-flight prospects that will have the chance to earn immediate playing time as a true freshman. There won't be any unseating of Brandon Jenkins or Bjoern Werner as starters but with Casher on board, the depth and versatility of the defensive end position increases dramatically since last season.

Date publicly committed to FSU: Jan. 5, 2011

Despite verbally committing to Miami last June, Reggie Northrup never fully closed the door on his recruitment during his senior season and ultimately decided to sign with the program he grew up following.

At Florida State, Northrup will provide immediate insurance for a team that lost Nigel Bradham to graduation and Arrington Jenkins to a transfer. A native of Jacksonville, Fla., Northrup attends the same high school that produced former Seminole Jermaine Thomas, Nigel Carr, Avis Commack and current player Eric Beverly.

Date committed to FSU: Feb. 1, 2012

At 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds, Colin Blake has unique but ideal size for a cornerback that will have to match up with wide receivers that are at least as tall as him if not taller while he plays for the Seminoles. 

Blake was a one-time Texas A&M commitment that took a visit to Tallahassee in early January after de-committing from the Aggies in December after then-head coach Mike Sherman was fired. At FSU, Blake will join a cornerback corps that has to deal with the losses of Mike Harris and Avis Commack so playing time in his first year is a real possibility.

Date publicly committed to FSU: Feb. 1, 2012

Very rarely can you pencil in signee for a starting job but it would be shocking if Bracy is not on FSU's kick-return unit come opening day 2012. The Orlando, Fla. native is simply too fast to not be on the field.

How fast, you say? Last June, Bracy's 10.05 100-meter dash at the USA Track & Field Junior Championships was enough for the title in the event and was the second-fastest all-conditions mark in the history of high school track in the state Florida. More recently, Bracy ran a world's-best 6.08 in the 55-meter dash at an indoor track meet in Gainesvile.

With quickness like that, he is an ideal fit for special teams and the slot receiver position on offense.

In addition to football, Bracy will also run track for Florida State, where he will work with well-regarded sprints coach Ken Harnden.

Date publicly committed to FSU: June 14, 2011

Many recruiting services have P.J. Williams listed as a cornerback but the Ocala, Fla. native has one thing that defensive coordinator/secondary coach Mark Stoops covets in his players: versatility. At 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, has the size to play at both cornerback or safety for FSU and could be slotted into either of those positions depending on depth and need.

Williams became the first commitment for FSU's 2012 class when he gave his pledge in July of 2010 and stood firm in that decision despite offers from some of the country's best programs.

Date publicly committed to FSU: July 24, 2010

The heir apparent to Dustin Hopkins doesn't fill an immediate need but Aguayo will surely come in handy next season. It's likely that FSU's new kicker will take a "grayshirt," which means he will not join the football program until the spring semester of 2013.

By doing this, Aguayo won't have to use a year of his eligibility standing on the sidelines during Hopkins' senior campaign. After Hopkins graduates, Aguayo, who was rated the nation's No. 3 kicker according to both Rivals.com and 247Sports.com, will have the chance to start four years in a row for the Seminoles just his predecessor.

Date publicly committed to FSU: Jan. 31, 2011

One of FSU's biggest areas of need for this recruiting cycle was not necessarily quantity at the offensive line position but quality -- in particular, getting guys that could play right away if need be.

Like Glauser, Menelik Watson is another junior-college standout that has a chance to earn a starting job from day one at fall camp. With Glauser and Watson on board, the Seminoles could have two new upperclassmen bookends at the tackle spots -- a luxury the team didn't have last year after Andrew Datko went down with a season-ending injury early in the season.

Watson was the first Florida State recruit to sign his National Letter of Intent for the 2012 class.

Date publicly committed to FSU: Jan. 25, 2012