Seven wins would make Hawai'i bowl eligible
By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Writer
The "magic number" for the University of Hawai'i football team to be bowl-eligible this season will be any combination of seven victories in the 12-game regular season, the NCAA has ruled.
A request from the Western Athletic Conference on behalf of the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl prompted the review after confusion over the number of wins the Warriors would require to qualify for their hometown game on Dec. 24th.
At issue was whether UH would be able to count a win against its season-opening opponent, Division I-AA Florida Atlantic, toward the seven required victories.
In an e-mail to the WAC yesterday, Leeland Zeller, associate director of membership services, wrote: "If an institution plays 12 games, the institution's record must be at least 7-5 regardless of whether one of the games is against a I-AA institution that has not averaged 60 equivalencies during the three preceding years.
"If one game is against such an institution, the I-A institution still has to have six wins against other I-A schools. So, they would have to beat six I-A schools and the I-AA school. In that case, they will have met both components of the rule (bylaw 30.9.2) as stated."
"We're pleased that the request by the WAC came back with a positive interpretation of allowing UH to be in the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl with seven wins," said Jim Donovan, the game's executive director.
"We're happy that it has been cleared up," said Herman Frazier, UH athletic director.
The issue arose in March after UH signed Florida Atlantic, a division I-AA school in the process of moving to I-A, to be its Sept. 4 opponent this year.
In an e-mail last month, the NCAA had said, "They (Hawai'i) must have more wins than losses in order to be bowl-eligible and a win over FAU may not be counted due to the fact the institution has not averaged at least 60 equivalencies over the past three years."
Division I-AA schools may offer a maximum of 63 scholarships. The Owls have operated with an average of 51.79 scholarships over the past three years, according to an FAU spokesman. Division I-A teams, such as UH, may offer a maximum of 85 scholarships.
Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.
