Never one to the let the opportunity for an Olympic analogy pass, University of Hawai'i athletic director Herman Frazier yesterday compared the Warriors' Western Athletic Conference championship win over Boise State last week to the U.S. hockey team's historic victory over Russia in the 1980 Winter Olympics.

And not necessarily for the most obvious reasons.

While people commonly link the "Miracle on Ice" victory over Russia with the gold medal, the reality was that the United States beat Russia in the semifinals and then had to beat Finland for the gold.

"That's what this is," he said. "We had Boise State first and we had to clear that hurdle to get to the point where you have a finished product, which is this weekend. So, as much as everybody wanted to be happy last week, this really is the week.

"This is probably the largest game in the history of the program," Frazier said.

Frazier's assessment of the magnitude of Saturday's game against Washington likely factors in the millions of dollars UH stands to gain from a possible BCS bowl invitation.

Some, like ESPN's Sean McDonough, have already speculated on what that windfall could and should be used.

During his comments near the end of the UH-Boise State telecast, McDonough said that the victory effectively increased what head coach June Jones could ask for in contract negotiations.

"The price to keep him just went up," McDonough said.

That elicited a terse M.Y.O.B. reaction from the AD.

"Sean McDonough doesn't live in Hawai'i, so I don't pay attention to stuff like that," Frazier said.

"June's contract is not an issue," he said. "That I told everybody right from the beginning. We're not going to negotiate in the media. That's something that will be negotiated between June Jones, his agent and yours truly."

McDonough, clearly not angling to be on Frazier's Christmas card list, also suggested that some of the money that would come from a BCS bid should be used to upgrade UH athletic facilities.

"Folks, if you saw their practice field and their office building, you'd be amazed that they could have this kind of success with their facilities in, quite frankly, an embarrassing state of disrepair," McDonough said.

Frazier said he didn't understand McDonough's comments, particularly as they pertained to the practice field.

"Our practice field is a grass practice field that's in great shape," he said. "I can't comment on something I don't know the specifics of ... what's wrong with our practice field?"

Frazier said he hasn't thought about the potential payoff for a bowl berth and how it might be used.

"That's pie in the sky," he said. "You've got to wait until you get to that point. Again, that's a decision that's made through everybody on the campus."

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.