The Wall Street Journal has this story on how the Golden Spikes Award–college baseball’s version of football’s top honor–has been a better indicator of professional success than the Heisman has in the last 10 years.

Actually, when calculating the number of starters, all-star games, rookies of the year and busts, recent Heisman winners also lag behind the Naismith (basketball) and Hobey Baker (hockey) Awards.

However, unlike the Golden Spikes, Naismith and Hobey Baker Awards, the Heisman winner will always be remembered for winning his trophy. 

Quick, name the last five Naismith winners…

It’s already begun–and smartly–as detailed by Cedric Golden in the Austin-American Statesman:

While in New Haven, Conn., in January for the announcement of the Walter Camp Award, McCoy visited the ESPN studios in Bristol and did a series of interviews. A local high school invited him to speak, and McCoy leaped at the opportunity. He also did an ESPN radio segment with Colin Cowherd.

In February, he appeared on ESPN’s “First Take” from Austin.

Three weeks later, he was off to Peru for a week of missionary work.

Back in Austin, he was honored with a Texas Senate resolution in April. Then came speaking engagements over the next couple of months and a taped appearance for an “ESPN Outdoors” TV show that involved his buddy and teammate Jordan Shipley on a fishing trip to Lake Whitney. Then it was on to Abilene to speak at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes banquet. Fourdays later, McCoy threw out the first pitch at the Texas Rangers-New York Yankees game. For the record, his fastball came in a little high, but he looked good on the five-step drop.

He was back in Connecticut three weeks ago to appear live at the ESPN studios. While he was there, an area high school asked if he would like to speak to their students. “Of course,” was the answer.

This is a great approach to take for a Heisman front runner–get out there early and be accessible and then get out there and be accessible again.  Don’t turn down the chance to get some exposure, even when it’s a little event at a high school or media outlet in a tiny town. 

You just never know when a Heisman voter is watching.

In this piece by ESPN.com’s Ted Miller, Cal’s Jahvid Best–one of the fastest football players in the country–says he would take the Pac-10 title over the Heisman.

Of course, in Best’s case, the two are not mutually exclusive.  I seriously doubt he can win the Heisman without leading his team to the conference crown, unless he rushes for well over 2,000 yards.  He’s taking the right approach.

It sounds like he’s finally getting healthy, although he is trying to move up to 205 pounds (he played at 190 last year).  Most likely he will have to sacrifice some speed to get there, which may result in fewer highlight-reel runs, though he will be more durable.

Let’s take a step back from my position previews for a second and talk about the very real issue of Tebow Fatigue.

I’m not talking about the sentiment that exists among jealous fans across the country who waste their energy hating on the Gators quarterback.  Of course they are tired of Tebow–he keeps beating their teams! 

Instead, I’m talking about the perception out there that the media tends to go a bit overboard in its glorification of Tebow. 

By ‘a bit’, I’m being generous.

I write this as a longtime admirer of Tebow the football player.  Devoted readers of this blog will vouch that I was in very early on his potential as not only a Heisman candidate, but as a future college football icon.

And since so many fans are clearly blinded by player envy, I’ve tended to downplay much of the complaining about Tebow and the media.  I believe most of it is done in lieu of being able to find any real knock on his abilities as a football player.  It’s much easier to snark over coverage of his personal life than his ever-escalating touchdown collection.

However, as luck would have it, I just caught a replay of the 2008 SEC title game.  Frankly, I’d forgotten just how embarrassing Gary Danielson was in his over-the-top praise of Tebow. 

“It’s unbelievable” exclaimed Danielson after seeing Tebow run down to exhort the Florida kickoff team following the Gators’ final score.  As if no player had ever done that before.

Then, following the kickoff and a stop of Alabama short of the 20-yard line, it was “How could you (a kickoff coverage player) not go down fast after Tebow called you out?”   As if the coverage team needed Tebow to remind them how important the game was (the winner would go to the BCS title game, after all).

I believe this kind of coverage last season actually hurt Tebow’s Heisman chances more than it helped.  Heisman voters already knew Tebow was great–they voted for him the year before!   Since Tebow’s statistics dropped considerably last year, the media had to come up with new ways to praise him.  Unfortunately, most of it was just nonsense.  As bad as Danielson was, he held no candle to Fox’s Thom Brenneman, who famously said during the BCS title game: 

“If you are fortunate enough to spend five minutes around Tim Tebow, your life is better for it.”

This was a great disservice to not only the other Heisman candidates, but to Tebow himself, who certainly never asked for such hyperbole to be shoveled his way.  The result of a season’s worth of such praise was a rather weird Heisman tally in which Tebow had the most first-place votes but still finished third.  This hadn’t happened since 1956.   

Clearly, the fatigue had set in.   

This fatigue is now the main obstacle to his winning a second Heisman and possibly establishing himself as the greatest college football player of all time.

I think people are a bit uncomfortable with contemporaneous legends.  Most of us would rather wait a few years before sifting through our fuzzy memories to swell the past accomplishments of our favorite players.  But it’s already happening with Tebow.  It’s being forced upon us.  We’re being told he’s Paul Bunyan and John Henry the Steel Driving Man all rolled into one.   

As a result, I think most Heisman voters will look at him this year and say “He’s a great player, but we’re not sure we want to take part in this over-glorification.  Who else is there?”  Voters this year will also be very aware that they are the keepers-of-the-flame when it comes to determining Tebow’s place in history.  They will not easily give up a second trophy unless he absolutely is the most deserving.   

It could well end up that Tebow is that player.  His team has a great shot at its third title in four years.  His career statistics, when tallied up, will be phenomenal.  He has displayed exemplary character, guts and leadership.  What’s not to like?

Unfortunately, human nature doesn’t work that way.  Even the most beautifully catchy pop song gets tiresome after several listens.  Even the best movie can’t be watched four times in a row.   And so, we are obsessed with the ‘new’, the next big thing, the latest flavor.  It’s only later, after time spent away, that the heart grows fond again.  Heisman voters are no different.

If Tebow can overcome this natural tendency to shirk the tried and true for the new and untested, then he’ll definitely deserve the Heisman and rightfully earn the moniker: College Football’s Greatest Player.