Why does every school try so hard to market their Heisman hopeful?

I can’t believe the number of candidates that I have seen in the media this season. It’s nearly offending to see this many athletes being campaigned as the best player in college football.

The ISU football team has their own Heisman hopeful, as those of us that do not live in caves are aware of. After Troy Davis’ record setting season of 1995, it is only natural for Davis to be splashed on the cover of our media guide.

But it’s not a priority to Davis, winning the Heisman. Winning games is his priority. He said so himself at the ISU Media Day. I believe him.

So why do the schools do this to these players? And it is not just some schools that do this to their star player, it’s practically every school that ISU plays this year.

For example, Wyoming features wide receiver Marcus Harris on the front of their media guide. He caught 78 passes for 1,423 yards and 14 touchdowns. Okay, not bad. I can live with this one. Of course, Harris does play in the WAC. You know, the conference UNLV plays in.

You saw what ISU did to those guys. How good can the conference really be? BYU—and then who?

Anyway, Iowa has Sedrick Shaw at running back. Yeah. The Des Moines Register seems to like him. Somebody has to, I guess.

Even UNI touts their wide receiver, Dedric Ward, as a Walter Payton Award candidate on their media guide. He’s no Kenny Shedd, but I guess he’s pretty good.

Colorado’s Koy Detmer, Kansas State’s Kevin Lockett, Nebraska’s Ahman Green—the list goes on and on. And these are just players from teams that ISU plays this season. Imagine the other 100 Division I-A teams and their best players that can be added to the list.

Why pump these guys up so high for an award that has become rather meaningless in the long run? Name all of the Heisman Trophy winners in the last few years that have gone on to having successful NFL careers. I might accept one answer, that being Rashaan Salaam, but he’s only played one year.

Andre Ware? No. Desmond Howard? I don’t think so. Charlie Ward? The Knicks, my friends. The Knicks.

So why damn a great athlete to a life in sports Hades? Not only does past history rate poorly for these athletes, but the overexposure that these campaigns bring get very annoying to many of the people who follow college football.

Can you believe that people can be sick of hearing about Troy Davis around this campus? He rushed for over 2,000 yards, he’s the first ISU player to be a Heisman finalist, he’s….what’s that? You already knew that?

My point exactly.

And maybe the best point I can make is this: There are three ways this voting can turn out. In a happy world, Troy Davis would win. In a world where the Heisman Trophy was really given to the best college player, Ohio State lineman Orlando Pace would win. And in our world, Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning will win. He’ll put up the astronomical numbers that will sway the voters.

Sorry, Marcus Harris. Somebody should’ve told your school how it is.

Christopher Clair is a senior in journalism from Waukon, Iowa. He is tports editor of the Daily.