UH football
Warriors may play Kansas in 2003
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
RENO, Nev. — University of Hawai'i and Kansas officials are discussing the possibility of scheduling a football game in 2003.
UH athletic director Hugh Yoshida, in town for the Western Athletic Conference Football Media Preview, said the Jayhawks are agreeable to a game, although the date and contract terms must be negotiated.
Yoshida said Kansas was targeted because of its membership in the powerful Big 12 Conference. Also, Kansas athletic director Al Bohl has had a long working relationship with UH. Bohl was athletic director at Fresno State, also a WAC member, until resigning last month to accept the Kansas job.
Yoshida is hopeful an agreement will be reached in the next few weeks.
TEXAS STALEMATE
Friday fever: The WAC's three Texas schools — Southern Methodist, Rice and Texas-El Paso — are refusing to move any of their home games to a Friday night, the time usually reserved for high school football in the Lone Star state.
The WAC's new deal with ESPN calls for four league football games to be televised nationally each season. ESPN wants WAC teams to play in the new Friday night series of telecasts.
Despite protests from UH coach June Jones, the Warriors agreed to move the Oct. 27 Saturday night game against Fresno State to Friday, Oct. 26. But officials from the three Texas schools made it clear they will not move any of their home games to a Friday night. UTEP coach Gary Nord said playing on a Friday night will hurt relationships with high school teams and sabotage recruiting efforts.
"We know it's a sensitive issue, and we don't want to force any team to play on a Friday night," WAC commissioner Karl Benson said.
Benson said the UH-FSU game was moved because Hawai'i high school football officials did not object to a date switch.
Benson and the officials from the Texas schools will discuss the matter this afternoon.
But one team is willing to do anything to get on national television. Fresno State has decided to move its game against San Jose State to the day after Thanksgiving, even though ESPN has made no assurances that it will televise that game.
WINNING ATTITUDE
Let the 'Dogs out? Fresno State defensive tackle Alan Harper said that if his team becomes a consistent winner, he would be surprised if the Bulldogs were in the WAC in five years.
Fresno State, like many other West Coast schools, would like to join the Pac-10 Conference. It also was rumored to be deeply interested in joining the Mountain West Conference.
"If we're winning year after year, I would be surprised if we're still in the league," Harper said.
FSU quarterback David Carr also envisions pressure from Bulldog fans to move.
"If we win, they're going to want us to go to a bigger conference," Carr said. "If we lose some, nobody will talk about it."
WELCOMING PARTY
Comings and goings: The Media Preview is serving as a welcoming party for new WAC members Boise State and Louisiana Tech.
But the reconfiguration — there were 10 members in 1995, 16 in 1996, eight in 1999, nine last year and 10 this year — has confused even the participants.
"Teams come, teams go," Tulsa wideout Donald Shoals said. "That's the way it goes. I don't try to keep count anymore."
Said Fresno State quarterback David Carr: "Hopefully, everybody can make up their minds one day and get settled."
Boise State tackle Matt Hill already flunked his entrance exam. "If I had to name all of the teams, I might get 50 percent right."
