Hawai'i Bowl could use Pac-10 tie-in
By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Columnist
You don't want to wish financial misfortune on another game in the Western Athletic Conference family, but for the ConAgra Foods Hawai'i Bowl and the University of Hawai'i, it might be hard to shed too many tears if the Silicon Valley Bowl goes under.
Out of the Silicon's tsunami of red ink could flow a golden opportunity for the Hawai'i Bowl.
If the WAC pulls the plug on the San Jose-based Silicon Valley Bowl, something that is looking like a more prudent play every day, then its Pac-10 tie-in would be up for grabs.
And, if there is one thing the inaugural Hawai'i Bowl underlined, it is what a tie with a conference can — and can't — bring.
With just seven months lead time before its debut, the Hawai'i Bowl was fortunate to get somebody for UH to play. But with Conference USA, the Hawai'i Bowl found itself with neither a team that could bring many fans nor a marquee name to entice customers here to the ticket window.
Tulane, as it proved in a 36-28 victory, was good enough to beat Hawai'i on the Warriors' home field and play some exciting football in the process. But it wasn't enough of a name to get anybody here, apparently including UH, excited about showing up for the game.
Indeed, just 450 made the trip from New Orleans and only 31,535 found their way into Aloha Stadium for the game.
Nor, would any of a number of other teams C-USA could have sent, Southern Mississippi, South Florida, etc., made much difference. For reasons of geography, history and exposure,
C-USA just doesn't have much cache here and that isn't going to change anytime soon.
But if it had been a team from the Pac-10, a conference with considerable branding here, you'd like to think things would have been better. With an Oregon or UCLA, for example, not only might the Warriors have been revved up for the game, a larger segment of their fans would have, too. Witness the 40,000 who turned out for Oregon State in Hawai'i's last bowl appearance, the 1999 O'ahu Bowl.
Now, with the Silicon Valley Bowl having attracted an announced "crowd" of 10,142 and the WAC likely to lose upwards of $750,000 on its involvement in the game, on top of $1 million in previous years, it is unlikely the game will be back unless a deep-pocketed sponsor is found.
C-USA , staring at a six-figure loss from its own involvement in the Hawai'i Bowl, might not be all that difficult to talk out of the three remaining years of its agreement here, either.
Getting the Hawai'i Bowl off the drawing board and into play this past season was one remarkable undertaking. Putting it in a position to grow into the future is another. And getting a tie-in with the Pac-10 would be the best way to make that happen.
