Weak schedule, defense hurt Hawaii’s BCS hopes
So much for another Bowl Championship Series entry from the Western Athletic Conference.
As great as it was to see USU put up 37 points on the Hawaii Warriors last Saturday, it’s also sad for another reason: Giving up that many points (it easily could have been 44 if a USU delay-of-game penalty wouldn’t have called back an Aggie touchdown pass) to a winless Aggie team takes a huge bite out of Hawaii’s BCS hopes.
On the other hand, it’s excellent news for USU at this point in the season against such a highly ranked team, but that’s a topic for another day.
The 16th-ranked Warriors are 6-0 and averaging more than 50 points per game thanks to Colt Brennan’s rocket-like arm and four receivers with the talent level of the Aggies’ Robinson. Obviously Hawaii has offense, but, really, is that good enough to have their defense overlooked? No, it’s not.
A look at which teams the Warriors have beat thus far weakens their chances even more. Their six wins come over teams who currently are a combined 7-28. This is not a very impressive list.
Game 1, in Hawaii: Hawaii 63, Northern Colorado Bears 6. The Bears are a Division I-AA team from the Big Sky Conference (the same conference as Weber State) and are currently 0-6 after losing at Idaho State by a touchdown last week.
Game 2, in Louisiana: Hawaii 45, Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 44 in overtime. Given the 5,000-mile distance traveled to play, I cut the Warriors some slack in this one. However, the Bulldogs are currently 1-4 and haven’t scored more than 12 points in any of their other games.
Game 3, in Las Vegas: Hawaii 49, the University of Nevada-Las Vegas 14. As of now, this is the Warriors’ most impressive win. UNLV is 2-4 and on a two-game skid.
Game 4, in Hawaii: Hawaii 66, Charleston Southern Buccaneers 10. Raise your hand if you have heard of these Bucs. That sound you hear is the sound of nobody raising their hand. That’s because the Bucs are D I-AA and are currently 3-3 with victories over such no-name teams as Johnson C. Smith, Savannah State and North Greenville.
Game 5, in Idaho: Hawaii 44, Idaho Vandals 20. In this game, Brennan threw five interceptions, pretty much shattering his chances at a Heisman Trophy. The Vandals are 1-5 on the season, just ahead of USU in the WAC standings.
I think it goes without saying that, until they have an opportunity to prove otherwise like Boise State did last year, the Warriors don’t have a leg to stand on when compared to teams like LSU, Ohio State, Boston College, South Florida or Oklahoma. Those are the top six teams in the nation, according to the latest Top 25 poll from the Associated Press.
The sixth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners also played the Aggies on their home field, but with a much different result. The Sooners used both offense and a smashing defense to beat USU, 54-3. Though the Sooners have lost one game, their strength of schedule and more-than-convincing victories over the University of Miami, Tulsa and the then 19th-ranked Texas Longhorns, their BCS chances are leaps and bounds ahead of anything Hawaii might claim.
The Warriors have plenty of time to be proven absolutely wrong. I realize that. A lot can happen in the six games the Warriors still have to play. Hawaii’s strongest argument will be made in their final two games of the season as they host Boise State and Washington-two teams with arguments being made to peak into the Top 25.
May the Warriors destroy all of their remaining opponents to boost the national exposure of the WAC.
Sammy Hislop is a junior majoring in public relations. Comments can be sent to him at samuel.hislop@aggiemail.usu.edu.