The Hokies enter Beamer's 22nd season picked the favorites to win the ACC's Coastal Division and ranked in the top 20 of the AP and coaches polls.

The way Beamer sees it, he needs to find a new running back, a new set of receivers and replace seven starters from one of the nation's best defenses.

Oh, and then there's the little matter of quarterback, where Beamer would prefer to use just one this season, either senior Sean Glennon or sophomore Tyrod Taylor, instead of the awkward-yet-effective rotation from 2007, when the team won its second ACC title in four seasons.

"It's going to be an interesting preseason for us," Beamer said earlier this summer. "We have some answers, but we've got more questions."

Three weeks into August and Beamer still doesn't have a definitive plan at quarterback, running back or receiver. There's still time to sort out the details before the Aug. 30 opener against East Carolina at Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium.

The reason so much is expected from Virginia Tech, despite the personnel transitions, is the Hokies have been the best team in the ACC since the conference expanded.

The Hokies are 27-5 in conference play since joining the league in 2004. That's seven losses clear of the second-best ACC team (Georgia Tech) over the same span.

Beamer's teams have owned the ACC with the oldest formula in football -- defense, special teams and the running game.

The names will change, especially on defense, but not Bud Foster's scheme, which has had Virginia Tech ranked in the top three nationally in scoring defense every year since it joined the ACC.

Defensive end Chris Ellis, a third-round NFL draft pick who led the team with 8.5 sacks, will be missed, as will cornerback Brandon Flowers, a second-round pick, but the Hokies remain flush with talented defenders, especially corner Macho Harris and linebacker Cam Martin.

"We know we'll have to hold it down while the offense gets things figured it out," senior defensive end Orion Martin said.

And there's a lot to straighten out on an offense that ranked 100th in the country in total yards per game.

Glennon, who led the team with 12 touchdown passes and 1,796 passing yards in 2007, lost his job after the second game of the season, a lopsided loss at LSU. He returned to the lineup to help an injured Taylor, who threw for five touchdowns and ran for six more.

The two contrasting styles boosted Tech's offense, but Beamer doesn't want to continue the rotation, which at times was from play-to-play within a series.

"We made it work last year, but it's still hard," Beamer said. "Any way you look at it, it's hard."

Given Taylor's explosiveness, and the dearth of proven playmakers on offense, it will be difficult to keep the shifty sophomore off the field.

Glennon joked at the ACC media kickoff last month that both could line up at the same time. Given Tech's deficiencies at running back, that might not be such a crazy idea. Leading rusher Branden Ore (992 yards) was kicked off the team after a series of legal and academic issues.

Four players, two coming off spring injuries, are vying to replace him. Darren Evans, Jahre Cheeseman, Garner's Josh Oglesby and highly touted freshman Ryan Williams might get a chance to run the ball.

Who'll catch it is another question. On a team that ranked 85th in passing offense, three receivers were taken in the draft. Converted quarterback Ike Whitaker and tight end Greg Boone might be the best passing options for the current quarterbacks.

The Hokies already lost one expected starting receiver, Brandon Dillard, to an Achilles injury, and another, Zach Luckett, to suspension.

Given Beamer's track record, the Hokies will answer all their questions sooner rather than later, but that's not going to keep the coach from fretting.

"All I know is we're not a 15th-ranked team right now," Beamer said at the team's media day, referring to their spot in the USA Today poll. "Hopefully, we can wind up getting that way. But we've got a lot of work to do."

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