The University of Hawai'i's unbeaten football team is 18th in the first Bowl Championship Series rankings announced yesterday — six spots away from automatically qualifying for a January 2008 bowl with five regular-season games remaining.

But there is a difference of opinion on whether the Warriors, now 7-0, would be a lock for a BCS bowl even if they win out at 12-0.

Karl Benson, commissioner of the Western Athletic Conference, said, "I'm confident that the system is in place to get them there. History shows an undefeated team from one of the five non-guaranteed conferences gets to No. 12."

Boise State of the WAC and Utah of the Mountain West both reached the BCS with unbeaten seasons.

But Jerry Palm, who charts the BCS through his CollegeBCS.com, said winning out would "not necessarily" get the Warriors there. "They could, but Hawai'i's schedule is so bad that they might not crack the Top 15 in the computers, even at 12-0. That means they are going to need the help of the (poll) voters. But for at least another month, it has no way to impress them."

UH coach June Jones said: "I don't know what to think about it other than I don't worry about it until the end of the year.

"It is too early to be thinking on those terms, anyway. (UH needs) to just keep winning them one at a time."

Palm said "there are three things that would really help Hawai'i":