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Friday, June 16, 2000
Rainbows not
By Dave Reardon
on Fox network
schedule
Star-BulletinIf national television is a sign of respect, the University of Hawaii football team might want to break out the old Aretha Franklin tune.
The Western Athletic Conference and Fox Sports Net yesterday announced four games to be shown throughout the country this fall. None involve the Rainbows, who were 9-4 and co-WAC champions last season.
"I'd like to think based on the performance of last season, we'd be in one of the nationally televised games," UH Associate Athletic Director Jim Donovan said. "I guess with two dates still open, it's still a possibility."
The Nov. 11 and Nov. 24 WAC/FSN slots do not have matchups yet.
Hawaii is scheduled to host Nevada-Reno on Nov. 11 at 6:05 p.m., Hawaii time. The start time would have to change to 10:30 a.m. to accommodate the TV opening.
The Rainbows are slated to host Wisconsin on Nov. 25. So if that game is to be televised nationally by FSN, a date change is required, and the time slot would be for a midafternoon start.
"A 3:30 Friday afternoon start would be fairly hard," Donovan said. "It would be difficult to move it to Friday, and difficult, period."
The currently scheduled televised games have Northwestern at TCU on Sept. 16, California at Fresno State on Sept. 23, TCU at Navy on Sept. 30, and Fresno State at Rice on Oct. 5.
"We may not be in one of the announced televised games," Donovan said. "But I wouldn't be surprised if we're playing in the Silicon Valley Football Classic on national television."
The New Year's Eve event is a new bowl game matching a top WAC team against a national at-large opponent.
FSN also will televise up to five WAC games on a regional basis.
"With Fox being so strong in Texas, and with us having three games in Texas, we have the chance to pick up some regional exposure," Donovan said. "We'll just have to wait and see."
UH games are televised locally by KFVE.
BLUE CHIP?: UH coach June Jones said yesterday he could not comment on the possible transfer to Hawaii of Michigan State quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt.
Reports earlier this week indicated that the son of former NFL linebacker Brad Van Pelt was close to joining the Rainbows.
Van Pelt is part of an exodus of Spartan quarterbacks. Two others, Dan Larlam and Jamie Jayes, also are transferring, and a fourth, Arron Agler, is academically ineligible.
Also, several recruiting experts and other sources said a local report that Van Pelt was "one of the nation's most highly recruited high school football players last year" is exaggerated.
"His dad was all-world here (at Michigan State) and I think they felt obligated to give him a scholarship," said a source in daily contact with the MSU program.
http://uhathletics.hawaii.edu
