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5 College Football Programs That May Be the Next Boise State

By Nicholas Ian Allen

Oct 17, 2014; Boise, ID, USA; Boise State Broncos quarterback Grant Hedrick (9) scores on a touchdown pass from wide receiver Thomas Sperbeck (82) (not seen during the second half verses the Fresno State Bulldogs at Albertsons Stadium. Boise State defeated Fresno State 37-27. Mandatory Credit: Brian Losness-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 17, 2014; Boise, ID, USA; Boise State Broncos quarterback Grant Hedrick (9) scores on a touchdown pass from wide receiver Thomas Sperbeck (82) (not seen during the second half verses the Fresno State Bulldogs at Albertsons Stadium. Boise State defeated Fresno State 37-27. Mandatory Credit: Brian Losness-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 22, 2014; Honolulu, HI, USA; Hawaii running back Joey Iosefa (7) stiff arms UNLV defensive back Kenneth Penny (17) during the second quarter of the NCAA college football game at Aloha Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marco Garcia-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 22, 2014; Honolulu, HI, USA; Hawaii running back Joey Iosefa (7) stiff arms UNLV defensive back Kenneth Penny (17) during the second quarter of the NCAA college football game at Aloha Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marco Garcia-USA TODAY Sports /

Admittedly, this one’s a long shot – though it’s been done before.

In 2007, Hawaii became only the third team to make it from a non-BCS conference to a BCS bowl game. The 12-0 Warriors were thrashed 41-10 by Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, but led by head coach June Jones, Hawaii proved itself to be one of the best non-power conference football programs of the decade.

Since Jones left for SMU in 2008 however, Hawaii has fallen on hard times both financially and athletically. The football program is desperately in the red, the crowds at Aloha Stadium continue to dwindle and the team has had just one winning season (a 10-4 record in 2010). Things bottomed out in 2013 when Hawaii finished 1-11, and they were just 4-9 last season. Current head coach Norm Chow is just 8-29 in four seasons.

But there’s hope.

One very unique thing Hawaii has at its disposal is its location, which means there are plenty of Power Five conference schools that would travel for a non-conference matchup. Another benefit for a school playing at Hawaii is the NCAA rule that allows them to play 13 regular season games in order to try and recoup the costs of travel (the NCAA also allows Hawaii to play 13 regular season games each year).

No one else on this list – and few among Group of Five programs – has such an opportunity to regularly host high-profile football teams. In the not too distant past, Hawaii has played home games against Michigan (1998), Alabama (2002), Michigan State (2004), Washington State and Cincinnati (2008), USC (2010), among others.

Hawaii hosted Washington and Oregon State in 2014 and will play Colorado at Aloha Stadium and travel to Ohio State and Wisconsin in September 2015. Kansas, Navy, Arizona and Oregon State are lined up for home games over the next few years with the Warriors slated to make return trips to each, plus to Michigan in 2016 and UCLA in 2017.

Playing as many high quality opponents as possible is good for program prestige, and playing them at home greatly improves the team’s chances of winning. But Hawaii could do it even better. In my opinion, Hawaii should become a football independent (something the school considered as recently as 2010) and take the current BYU scheduling strategy and put it on steroids.

Simply because they are Hawaii, teams like the experience of travelling there to play. A game in Hawaii is almost like a second bowl game (or even could replace a bowl game for a team with a post-season ban). Therefore, the Rainbow Warriors could conceivably host eight or nine games each season – as many as possible against heavyweights from large conferences. Hawaii could fill the rest of their annual schedule with away games against SEC, Big Ten and Pac-12 for big guarantee games.

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By playing some of the nation’s toughest teams, Hawaii can appeal to recruits that want exposure for NFL scouts, and should the Warriors begin to win again, they could certainly emerge as annual contenders for a New Year’s Day Six bowl game – perhaps even for a playoff spot in time.

Of course, it’s not a perfect strategy. Filling an annual schedule with 13 teams is very difficult for any football program, so having the security of an eight-game conference slate is helpful. Also, if the Rainbow Warriors did in fact become competitive enough to frequently beat the more prestigious schools that travelled to the islands, chances are they would be less likely to sign up for future games.

Still, it’s certainly something to consider, and it’s a strategy that could help Hawaii re-emerge as one of the nation’s best non-Power Five programs. Perhaps even the next Boise State.

Next: The Top Ten Defensive Coaches in College Football

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