Posted on: Tuesday, November 2, 2004

UH, foes battling for bowl berths

By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Columnist

Salt Lake Boulevard is the official address of Aloha Stadium, but for the prominence of the role it will play this season, it might as well be known as the road to the college football postseason for a lot of people.

What happens there over the next five weeks should have a lot to say about the bowl hopes of at least four teams.

Not only the University of Hawai'i's own flickering bowl dreams figure to be decided there but, potentially, those of this week's UH opponent, Louisiana Tech, and upcoming foes Northwestern and Michigan State. Throw in Fresno State, which UH meets on the road next week, and four of the Warriors' five remaining opponents could have to go through UH to reach the post season, a scenario that hasn't unfolded around here in a while.

Only 2-7 Idaho, of the Warriors' opponents, is in a position to schedule its end-of-the-season banquet right now.

The Warriors' own hopes require them to win four of five remaining games, a decidedly uphill task not made any easier considering the teams they must climb over are all clinging desperately to bowl aspirations of their own. For most of them, the game against UH could be the decider between playing in a bowl or taking a place in front of the television set.

The Bulldogs of Louisiana Tech are 4-4 and, like UH, require seven wins to be bowl eligible. Figuring their fate at Boise State on Nov. 20 will not be any more merciful than that meted out to other Broncos' victims, that means a win at UH, where Tech is a five-point underdog, is a must. As will be games at Tulsa and Rice.

Fresno State, at 4-3 with four remaining games, needs two more victories to go bowling. Get those, including a win over the Warriors in Fresno next week, and the Bulldogs could end up in the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl as UH's replacement. After four consecutive visits up the highway to the Silicon Valley Bowl in San Jose, Calif., where do you think these Bulldogs want to be?

But the real drama could come the last two weeks of the regular season. That's where the urgency figures to be for Northwestern and Michigan State, two teams that were longshots to go bowling when the season began.

Northwestern, which is 4-4, has Big Ten Conference games left against Penn State, Michigan and Illinois. The Wildcats should be favored in two of those, setting up the scenario Nov. 27 of being 6-5 and needing a victory over UH to be bowl-eligible.

Likewise, it could be the same story line the following week. Michigan State, also at 4-4 with Ohio State, Wisconsin and Penn State remaining, could arrive here Dec. 4 at 6-5 looking for its bowl clincher.

At best, the Warriors have their bowl in their hands. Failing that, they are positioned to spoil the holiday dreams of others as well.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.