HOUSTON — Officials from both the University of Hawai'i and Nevada-Las Vegas say they want to extend the growing football series between them.

"No question, it would be crazy for us not to (expand)," said UH athletic director Herman Frazier. "We will talk about it. We definitely need to play them."

"It is a win-win for everybody," said Jerry Koloskie, senior associate athletic director at UNLV.

Saturday's game will be the 18th meeting in a series the Warriors lead 11-6. The schools are contracted to play in 2009 (in Las Vegas), 2010 (at UH), 2011 (in Las Vegas) and 2012 (at UH). Though UH has an opening for 2008, UNLV said at present its non-conference schedule is full through 2012.

"If we could, we'd play them every year," Frazier said.

"We think this is a great rivalry," said UNLV head football coach Mike Sanford.

Although Frazier said the UH-UNLV series has been home-and-home, he said in the future "it may be even more there than here."

An estimated 10,000 to 12,000 UH fans — including those coming in for the game and Hawai'i transplants in Nevada — are expected to attend Saturday's game. Koloskie said UNLV usually takes in approximately $250,000 to $300,000 from an average home game but the UH game could produce $500,000 to $600,000. "Financially, it is a very good game for us," Koloskie said.

UH is contracted to receive $200,000 for Saturday's game, the same amount UNLV got for the 2006 meeting at Aloha Stadium.

Nevada-based Boyd Gaming Corp. is a platinum ($100,000 or more annual contribution) UH corporate partner and a major sponsor of UNLV athletics, but Frazier said there is nothing in UH's agreement that means the Warriors must play UNLV.

BENSON WILL BE THERE

Western Athletic Conference commissioner Karl Benson, whose directives have been at the center of the haka controversy, will attend the UH-UNLV game Saturday, a WAC spokesman said.

It was Benson whose directive requested — but did not order — WAC teams not to perform the haka on visiting fields.

The officiating crew for the game will be from the WAC.

GRACIOUS HOSTS

UH has been in Houston since Sunday and will arrive in Las Vegas Friday.

The Warriors are working out at Rice University, a former WAC member. Originally, head coach June Jones had hoped his team would have been able to use the facilities of the NFL's Texans but a UH official said that would have violated NFL policy by giving the Texans an unfair familiarity with UH players.

"The Rice people have been very hospitable to us," Jones said. "They've gone out of their way for us."

Jones coached in Houston with the Oilers of the NFL and Gamblers of the USFL and has been a regular interview subject with area media this week.

Temperatures have been in the 90s the last two days, topped by 94 degrees — with 94 percent humidity — Monday. "It ain't warm till you have 90/90," said Al Ginoza, UH assistant equipment manager.

Temperatures have been in the 100s in Las Vegas.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com.