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Hawaii missing the
gimme game on this
year’s schedule

HAWAII'S first opponent of the football season has already been on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and its second requires a historic trip to see a Big Ten team that is looking for more revenge than the mummy and Montezuma and the Nerds all rolled into one.

And yet UH's biggest game of the season is the game that comes next. In Week 3.

Make that Week 4.

(Whoever decided there needed to be a bye before heading into Idaho is a genius of Einsteinian proportions.)

Yes, the opener against the No. 1 team in the country, USC, is big-time. And the next week, at the-spread-may-be-more-than-45 Michigan State, looks like a heck of a trip.

But at Idaho, Sept. 24, is the biggest of the three.

This is the one that will set the tone for the whole season.

That's not to say that Hawaii couldn't win against USC and/or Michigan State. Of course it could.

Well, it could ...

That's not the point. The point is, those two aren't even the toughest games on the schedule.

The point is, there are no "gimme" games this year.

Nothing illustrates that better than Idaho. That game is early, and it's away, and don't think those Vandals won't be lying in wait. (Remember those trick plays Nick Holt busted out last year?)

An ambush win over Hawaii would be a big one for that program.

And a win at Idaho would be huge for this team, this season. Especially with this schedule. Especially with all that is coming next.

Let's put it this way -- it would be great if Hawaii would beat USC; but Hawaii HAS to beat Idaho.

The days of the gimme games are over.

At Louisiana Tech -- that's away, so that's dangerous right there.

New Mexico State. Should be a gimme, but it isn't. Not when the Aggies are armed with Hal Mumme's high-powered passing offense and a former NFL defensive coordinator who has already seen the run-and-shoot in his dreams.

June Jones has said that Mumme might bring in four guys who can run 4.5-second 40 times. Well, if he does have four guys who can run 4.5, Oct. 15 could be a tough night.

Then there's San Jose State. The last two seasons SJSU lost to Hawaii just because it was San Jose State. Botching game management, finding ways to lose. Last year San Jose State had more talent than Hawaii did (at least more healthy talent) and it wasn't even close. Instead of running out the clock at the end of the first half the Spartans gave away the possessions that led to the two scores that broke their backs. That's San Jose State.

Well, a lot of that talent is gone this season. But then again so is that coaching staff. And here comes Dick Tomey in its place.

Yes, it's San Jose State. But you think Tomey won't be ready to play UH? You think he won't have a great defensive plan? You think he won't be able to manage the clock? You think his team will be intimidated by a couple of quick run-and-shoot touchdown passes? The man saw that offense for two years as the UH TV analyst. He'll be waiting. And ready.

Suddenly, San Jose State goes from gimme to a war of wills. And we all know that's exactly the kind of contest Tomey loves.

That's the kind of schedule Hawaii has this year. It's not the toughest UH schedule ever because of the marquee opponents. Not because it features two Heisman Trophy finalists playing for the nation's No. 1 team.

Not because Hawaii opens with USC and at Michigan State and ends November with Wisconsin in Barry Alvarez's final regular-season game.

It's the toughest schedule because the games Hawaii should win have turned into games it must win.

And Idaho sets that tone in the season's third (thank goodness, make that fourth) week.

Oh, make no mistake, I can't wait to watch Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush. And I'm excited to see how Hawaii stands up to payback-minded white-hot anger in East Lansing against a Big Ten team that feels like it got robbed.

But after that, forget let-up. That's only the warm-up.

The biggest games of the season are the ones that should be gimmes, but aren't.