"Absolutely, that's something we want to do," Fresno State coach Pat Hill said.

UH coach June Jones said: "We're trying to figure out a way to make it work."

The unique proposal calls for the two Western Athletic Conference teams to play each other twice next year. The 2006 WAC schedule has the teams meeting in a regular-season game in Fresno.

The Warriors have been scrambling for ways to complete their 2006 schedule. They had hoped to fill their two openings by taking advantage of an NCAA rule expanding the regular season by one game beginning next year. But the pool of available opponents narrowed with the NCAA decision to allow games against Division I-AA schools to count toward the Division I-A bowl-eligible requirement of a winning record.

"Teams don't want to play us when they can play I-AA teams," Jones said. "And now we're having a hard time even getting a I-AA team to come out" to Hawai'i.

Jones and UH athletic director Herman Frazier came up with the idea of the Warriors playing a second game against a WAC opponent in the same season. Jones suggested Fresno State, which has emerged as the Warriors' top rival.

"Can you imagine what it would be like to beat Fresno and then go to their place to play?" Jones said. "The atmosphere would be crazy. It would be great for both teams."

Jones and Hill discussed the proposal during the recently completed WAC Football Media Days in the Reno Hilton.

"I'm all for it," Hill said. "I think it's a great idea."

Since being hired as UH's head coach in December 1998, Jones has proposed playing a game in Japan. He has said such an event would boost the Warriors' marketing and television reach.

Two years ago, Jones nearly completed a deal in which UH and Grambling State would play in Japan.

"It would be great if this could work out," Jones said. "We're still talking about it."