CORVALLIS, Ore. — Fittingly, perhaps, here in the Oregon farm country, amidst a backdrop of berry patches, rows of corn and hay bales, the University of Hawai'i and Oregon State meet today in a football game that may have something to say about another upcoming crop.

The recruiting one, that is.

In less than five months Hawai'i's top high school football players from what has been forecast as one of the state's strongest classes in years will be invited to sign on the dotted line national letters of intent that bind prospects to their school.

If recent history holds true, the single largest threat to nab many of those prospects from the Warriors' backyard will be today's 10 a.m. (Hawai'i time) non-conference opponent, OSU.

With 16 players from Hawai'i on their roster, many of whom UH also coveted, the Beavers have become UH's fiercest rival for in-state recruit signatures.

In a manner like Brigham Young University and Utah that once built pipelines to Hawai'i high schools before them, now it is the Beavers that have prospered. Most notably at Kahuku High and Kamehameha Schools.

The Beavers have laid a strong foundation and used their considerable Hawai'i ties — five coaches on their staff having worked or been raised in Hawai'i — to wage their recruiting campaign.

It would make for a point of pride now, not to mention enhanced salesmanship, if the Warriors were to be able to tell prospective recruits they had won today's game, the most recent showdown between the two schools.

Greg McMackin, in the eight months since he's become UH head coach, has aggressively attempted to protect the Warriors' homefront. He's painstakingly worked to rebuild links not only on the North Shore but elsewhere in the high school community. A victory in today's head-to-head matchup would be one more piece of ammunition for McMackin and the Warriors to take into the front rooms of recruits in the coming months.

Why, they could ask recruits, go all the way to Corvallis when UH can beat the Beavers on the field at Reser Stadium? Coming off a Bowl Championship Series appearance, national rankings, and TV appearances, UH could argue, what is to be gained by going so far?

UH nearly pulled out the last meeting between the two, a 35-32 game in 2006, proving it could stay with the Beavers and their Pac-10 brand. Now, the Warriors need to take the next, larger step. To win today, as 12 1/2-point underdogs on the road, would be a coup for the Warriors in so many ways. It would push even further back the memories of Florida and set UH up well entering the Western Athletic Conference season in two weeks.

But in the longer term it could be an important advance toward protecting that most precious of resources, the Warriors' backyard in recruiting.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.