Tennessee: Shoot, we'll name a street after you. You don't even have to beat Florida.

Colorado: Can't beat the parties.

Waiting for the FSU flood

One of the annual rites of signing day is the traditional Florida State last-minute surge. But while it normally means the difference between a No. 1 class or the more modest top five class, the Seminoles this year need some 11th-hour additions just to have a class at all.

As of Friday, Bobby Bowden had just 12 commitments, none of them players ranked among TheInsiders.com's top 100 players. Last year the 'Noles had six such players, but in typical FSU fashion, four of them -- including No. 1 overall prospect Lorenzo Booker -- didn't announce until signing day.

So who will deliver Bowden's last-minute presents this year?

Well for one thing, he may land No. 1 for a second straight signing day -- Tallahassee-bred RB/LB Ernie Sims is believed to favor the 'Noles over Georgia and Auburn -- as well as No. 2, WR Whitney Lewis (Ventura, Calif.), who is choosing between FSU and USC. Beyond that there's QB JaMarcus Russell (Mobile, Ala.), who's deciding between FSU and LSU, and three who are torn between the rival 'Noles and Gators: WR Antonio Cromartie (Tallahassee), RB Joe Cohen (Melbourne, Fla.) and DT Marcus Thomas (Jacksonville, Fla.).

Look for the 'Noles to land several of the above and finish up strong, but perhaps not as strong as usual. Concerns over the recent off-field incidents and the past two subpar seasons are working against them in the always-stiff race with Miami and Florida.

Future looks bright at Mizzou

Now that Missouri has its quarterback for the next three years, Brad Smith, the Tigers are loading up on running backs as third-year coach Gary Pinkel continues a staggering overhaul of a previously mediocre offense.

David Richard, who led Michigan State with 654 yards as a freshman last season, announced last week he is transferring to Missouri. The St. Louis native would likely have started for the Spartans in 2003 and will have three years of eligibility remaining when he suits up for the Tigers in ’04.

In the more immediate future, Mizzou is finally gaining the services of Damien Nash, the most touted signee in Pinkel’s first class two years ago who failed to qualify and wound up at Coffeyville CC in Kansas. The 5-foot-11, 208-pound Nash ran for 5,395 yards and 95 touchdowns in his East St. Louis prep career and ran a 4.37 40 but hasn’t played a down since 2000 after redshirting his first season at Coffeyville, then suffering a knee injury prior to his second.

Even if Nash isn’t at full strength this fall, the Tigers have three-year starter Zack Abron back for one more season. With Smith, the freshman All-America who passed for 2,333 yards and ran for 1,029, plus the entire offensive line returning from a team that beat Texas A&M and Illinois and scared Oklahoma and Colorado, Mizzou could be a surprise contender in the Big 12 North.

Worth noting

Minnesota scored a huge recruiting coup when the nation's top safety, Brandon Owens (Delray Beach, Fla.) switched his commitment from Iowa State to the Gophers. ... New Orleans high school teammates Daryl Johnson, a top-five safety, and Craig Davis, a top 20 receiver, caused quite a stir when on the same day last week they both decommited from Miami to LSU. ... New UCLA coach Karl Dorrell has put together a surprisingly strong class considering his late start and considering rival USC snagged much of the area’s top talent as early as last summer. The Bruins have 16 commitments, 11 since Jan. 1, most notably top 10 running back Maurice Drew (Concord, Calif.) of prep powerhouse De La Salle. … South Carolina could sneak into the top 10 recruiting classes if, as expected, it adds the nation’s No. 2 running back, Demetris Summers (Lexington, S.C.), on Wednesday. The Gamecocks already have commitments from top 10 receiver Noah Whiteside (Greenville), top 20 quarterback Blake Mitchell (LaGrange, Ga.) and two Kansas juco All-Americas, defensive tackle Darrell Shropshire (Coffeyville, CC) and linebacker Marcus Lawrence (Butler Co. CC). … Thomas "Hollywood" Clayton (Alexandria, Va.), one of the top running back recruits in the country last year, is transferring from Florida State, where he had fallen behind fellow freshmen Leon Washington and Lorenzo Booker on the depth chart, and is leaning toward Northwestern. … Oklahoma thinks it's found the next Quentin Griffin -- literally -- in 5-foot-7 running back Jacob Gutierrez (San Antonio), who ran for 4,507 career yards and 54 touchdowns but was largely ignored by major colleges because of his size. Griffin was the same height and ran for 1,884 yards last season.

Stewart Mandel covers college sports for CNNSI.com.