Posted on: Monday, September 13, 2004

Nothing seems out of 'WAC'

By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Columnist

Breakfast probably didn't go down easy a lot of places around the Western Athletic Conference this weekend.

Not when coaches at most member schools browsed through their newspapers and online services only to find that little has changed around the conference.

In women's volleyball, the University of Hawai'i is still the team to beat — if anybody can.

And, in football, it is looking a lot like Boise State and Fresno State and the eight dwarfs until somebody else proves differently.

Different year, same story. Not exactly the kind of news to cheer those hopeful of a new order or parity in the WAC.

Indeed, here were WAC coaches gleefully looking to the departure of Lily Kahumoku, Kim Willoughby, et al and the much hoped for end of a five-year Rainbow Wahine title reign and 90-match conference win streak. Early on UH coach Dave Shoji had said, "I know they (rival coaches) feel they finally have a shot at us this time."

Still a shot, perhaps, but one that no longer looks nearly as promising as it might have two weeks ago. A 6-0 start built on three top 20 victims suggests more of a reloading year for the Rainbow Wahine than a rebuilding campaign.

In taking down Arizona and Santa Clara, who have each been ranked No. 17, and No. 3 UCLA, the Rainbow Wahine show signs of shaping up to be the rest of the WAC's worst nightmare, a young team long on heart and quickly acquiring confidence and experience with each game.

If the Rainbows pick up any more steam against No. 8 California on Friday or No. 9 Pepperdine a week later, that WAC-opening road ambush Fresno State (Sept. 30) and Nevada (Oct. 2) have been pointing toward could be a letdown.

Meanwhile, in football, there is the very real danger of having the season quickly divided into two disparate races — one of the championship between nationally ranked Boise State and Fresno State, and one for third place for everybody else.

No. 23 Boise State plugged in eight new offensive starters — a quarterback, two running backs, a couple of wide receivers and half its offensive line — with the ease of changing a light bulb and then worked over Oregon State, 53-34, and Idaho, 65-7.

Then, there's self-appointed Bowl Championship Series buster No. 20 Fresno State, which finally plays at home this week after having made roadkill of Washington, 35-16, and formerly No. 14 Kansas State, 45-21.

Much as they have their own concerns to tend to, that's something for the Warriors to think about as they open conference play Saturday at Rice.

With road games at Boise and Fresno, the Warriors have little room for error against the Owls — or anybody else — if they want to make the Oct. 29 trip to Boise or Nov. 12 visit to Fresno meaningful.

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