These days, the new head coach for the University of Hawaii football team has too much to worry about to be concerned with predictions.
''I don't think I can quarrel with it,'' vonAppen said during this morning's media day. ''But I don't care where they pick us because it doesn't matter until we play.
''I spoke with Ted Tollner this morning and I know he's a little concerned that San Diego State is picked to win it all. I told him I wish we had that problem.''
VonAppen made it clear during today's session with the media that the UH quarterback race was still wide open and that academics could be a problem once summer school is completed.
Although Glenn Freitas made the trip to Las Vegas to meet the media, it doesn't mean the starting job for the Boston College game is his.
''Glenn is an interesting case,'' vonAppen said. ''He's one of the lads we brought with us here and some people said if we brought Glenn he must be the starter.
''We won't have any resolution until we maybe line up against Boston College. But Glenn is an interesting case study because he's a senior recruited primarily as an option quarterback.
''He had every reason not to buy into what we were selling. But he did. He had an excellent attitude. He never missed any meetings, he worked very hard and he has good field presence.
''His passes aren't very pretty yet, but he has good size and is a better drop-back passer than Johnny Macon, who is better on the perimeter because of his lack of size.''
VonAppen said that although he had a depth chart in place, fall camp at Barbers Point will go a long way in determining who will be in the starting lineup.
''Everybody wants to talk about our offense and who will be the starting quarterback,'' vonAppen said. ''But a real area of concern is our defense.
''We didn't stop anybody last year. We gave up 33 points a game which puts a lot of pressure on your offense, I don't care what you run.
''Our safeties last year were pretty heavy tacklers, which is always an area of concern. For us to be competitive, we've got to do a better job of stopping people.''
VonAppen also is concerned with pass protection and running the football. He conceded his team will mix in a little option this year with the West Coast offense, but passing the football effectively is still a top priority.
For that to happen, the offensive line must be able to protect the quarterback and the Rainbows must be able to run the football.
''We've got a pretty good stable of running backs," vonAppen said, "but one of our concerns is protecting the quarterback with a line that's used to the option and not the drop-back mode.
''We were trying to sell season tickets, so we didn't dwell on this, but we're a 4-8 team in transition. We still have a lot of questions and hopefully we'll answer most of those in fall camp.''