By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Columnist

If a blind date makes you nervous, then consider the situation confronting the University of Hawai'i football team, which not only awaits its mystery pairing, but also has a month to think about it.

Thanks to finally staving off San Jose State on Saturday night, which earned them a place in the inaugural ConAgra Foods Hawai'i Bowl, the 7-2 Warriors know they will have a date for Christmas Day at Aloha Stadium. What they don't know yet — and indeed might not know until the Dec. 2 announcement — is with who.

"We'll have somebody for them to go with; they just don't know what the date looks like yet," said Jim Donovan, director of the bowl.

Such are the tribulations of being the first of a record parade of 56 bowl teams to secure a place in the postseason.

While other teams just try to nail down places at the postseason party, the Warriors, with an open date this week, can sit back to start pondering the possibilities.

Ideally, of course, the Warriors will wrap up the regular season at 11-2 or 10-3 and play a credible enough bowl opponent so they have an opportunity to finish in the Top 25 for only the second time in school history.

That's where the matchmaking takes on importance. For while UH's Dec. 25 opponent is ostensibly to come from Conference USA, in reality the partner could still be any of almost 40 teams from a half dozen conferences.

Mathematically, any of seven teams — Texas Christian, Louisville, Southern Mississippi, Alabama-Birmingham, East Carolina, Tulane or Houston — from Conference USA could still end up at Aloha Stadium. Or none of them.

UH could renew acquaintances with TCU, which bolted the WAC two years ago, but not before departing with a few chop blocks. Or it could be the other UH — the University of Houston.

Then, there is UAB — athletic director Herman Frazier's former employer. If the Warriors and Blazers meet up, they could call it the Frazier Bowl — and, as a side bet, the loser pays the other A.D.'s salary for a year.

If Conference USA is unable to satisfy its obligations to all five of its contracted bowls — a possibility — the Hawai'i Bowl can take an at-large entry, which could bring in a marquee name because, at the moment, the Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big 12, Southeastern and Pac-10 are all projecting chances of having more bowl-eligible teams than guaranteed postseason slots.

One intriguing longshot could turn out to be California, with Iolani's Joe Igber. The Golden Bears (5-4 with three games remaining), were placed on postseason probation by the NCAA. But they have an appeal hearing that could overturn the ban.

Indeed, possibilities are dizzying for the Warriors. But after what happened last year, it sure beats being left out.