SEATTLE — Gazing across the well-appointed expanse of Qwest Field, the home of the NFL Seattle Seahawks, yesterday the University of Hawai'i football team took it all in with pinch-me wonder.

The plush locker rooms, giant video screen, luxury boxes and downtown skyline all set a tone of big-time.

But, truth be told, what brings the Warriors here for today's non-conference game with Washington State isn't reward or their own good luck.

Rather, the Warriors are appearing in 67,000-seat Qwest Field, instead of across the state in 35,117-seat Martin Stadium in Pullman, Wash., because they are being served up as the main course to a statewide audience of Cougar faithful hungry for a victory.

Today's 1 p.m. (Hawai'i time) "Cougar Gridiron Classic" is the centerpiece of what WSU bills at its annual "WSU Week In Seattle" promotion, "... our opportunity to showcase Cougar Pride and Cougar Accomplishments," according to the Web site: wsuin seattle.wsu.edu.

It is four days of WSU events designed for the school on the state's eastern border, 288 miles away, to come to the capital of the Pacific Northwest and strut its stuff. And the best way to do that is with a victory.

This is the eighth year the Cougars have held their "Cougar Gridiron Classic" and for the most part, they have chosen well, picking Nevada and San Diego State, among other opponents. Coming off a 2-11 season and forecast to finish last in the Pac-10, the Cougars especially need a boost. When choosing among its conference and non-conference opponents, WSU had six foes to pick from but settled on UH.

Frankly, it could have been a coin flip between UH and Southern Methodist. This game, in which the Cougars are two-point underdogs, and next week's contest back in Pullman against SMU, are tabbed as the most likely shots for a WSU victory. Otherwise, the feeling is here, the Cougars stand a shot of going 0-for-2009.

The Cougars would have been wise to look for an opponent with something of a name but also an exploitable weakness or two. Of UH and SMU, the Warriors have easily had the most recent success, being two seasons removed from the Sugar Bowl. And, in many minds here, the Warriors are the most vulnerable with a rebuilding defense and inconsistent offense. A week in which UH has shaken up its offensive playcalling responsibilities has only added to that perception.

As they take in the impressive surroundings today, the Warriors might want to remember who brought them here. And why.

And then become party poopers.