The University of Hawai'i football team leaves today on an 11-day, 7,064-mile, four-state road trip that will keep the Warriors on the Mainland for back-to-back games in an attempt to spare the players some of the rigors of travel and save the athletic department money.

UH estimates it will spend $326,615 in combining travel for Saturday's game at Utah State and the following week's game at New Mexico State, according to associate athletic director Carl Clapp.

By remaining on the Mainland — the Warriors will spend seven days in El Paso, Texas prior to the nearby New Mexico State game Nov. 8 — instead of returning home between games, UH forecasts a savings of approximately $27,200 for its financially strapped athletic department.

"By staying in the Mountain time zone rather than going back and forth (to Hawai'i), we hope to minimize the the difficulties getting acclimated to the road," said athletic director Jim Donovan.

The 4-4 Warriors need to win at least three of their five remaining games to earn a berth in the Dec. 24 Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl.

These are their fifth and sixth road games of the 13-game regular season. UH will travel 33,264 miles and spend 26 days on the road this season, according to sports information director Derek Inouchi.

Donovan said tutors will travel with the team and study halls will be held daily.

"At the airfare rates we would have had to pay three or four months ago in booking separate trips, the savings will be significant," Donovan said. He estimated the savings in airfare at approximately $70,000, which should more than cover the additional $42,800 in hotel, meal and other costs.

It is the second consecutive year the Warriors have elected to combine road trips. Last year, UH headquartered in Houston between games at Louisiana Tech and Nevada-Las Vegas, and won both. In 2006, UH came home between games at Fresno State and New Mexico State, also winning both.

UH is scheduled to practice on campus this morning and then take a commercial flight to Oakland, Calif. before connecting with a charter flight to Ogden, Utah, where the Warriors will headquarter until Saturday's game in Logan, Utah.

On Sunday, UH will fly to El Paso, Texas, where it will headquarter and practice until making the 42-mile drive to Las Cruces, N.M. Nov. 8 for the New Mexico State game.