The University of Hawaii and Fresno State are somewhat similar Group of Five schools and Mountain West Conference members who faced a common problem, rebuilding their slumping football programs.

The Rainbow Warriors went 3-10 in 2015 and the Bulldogs were 1-11 in 2016, each having suffered a succession of losing seasons and precipitous drops in attendance.

Both hired popular alums, ex-quarterbacks as it turned out, Nick Rolovich and Jeff Tedford respectively, who had also formerly served as assistants at their schools.

But there the similarities end and operating philosophies diverge widely for two schools who meet Saturday night at Aloha Stadium.

The hirings reflect two schools of thought: shoestring economy on UH’s part and a whatever-it-takes philosophy by Fresno State.

Rolovich took UH to a 7-7 record, its first non-losing season and bowl appearance in six years last season but is 3-6 so far this season. Tedford is 6-3 so far in his inaugural season.

Which school will be the biggest moneyball winner in the long run, both on the field and at the bank, remains to be seen but it makes for an interesting case study in the economics of mid-major athletics these days.

The Bulldogs, despite owing departed coach Tim DeRuyter $3.1 million (less his salary as an assistant at Cal), chose to give Tedford the most lucrative contract package in the 12-member Mountain West. While his $1,550,000 annual base salary is tied for second in the conference, the deal is so heavily filled with incentives that he could realize up to $2.7 million in bonus compensation through generous bonus provisions.

For example, he will be due a $50,000 bonus if the Bulldogs win their seventh game Saturday and another $50,000 for each additional victory this season, according to accounts of his contract first reported by the Fresno Bee.

The ’Bows, who paid their deposed coach, Norm Chow, a $340,000 buyout, opted to hire Rolovich at the lowest base salary in the conference, $400,008, and fourth-lowest in the 130-team Football Bowl Subdivision, according to USA Today figures.

Rolovich also has several bonus opportunities but they are more exacting and would total less than half of Tedford’s take even if all provisions were met.

UH athletic director David Matlin characterized Rolovich’s hire as “the right person at the right price” for what he felt the school could afford.

That the younger Rolovich, 36, had been an offensive coordinator at UH and Nevada but never a head coach allowed the ’Bows to save money on what it would have cost to hire someone with head coaching experience and a wider resume.

Fresno State went in an opposite direction. “When you’re 1-11, you can’t take a chance,” then-athletic director Jim Bartko told the Fresno Bee last year. “We could take a risk and say, ‘there’s some young guy from wherever who is a receivers coach that’s going to be a great coach.’ Well, we can’t afford that.”

Tedford, 55, had been a head coach for 11 years at Cal, where he compiled an 87-57 record from 2002-12, and one year (2015) in the Canadian Football League. He had also spent a season as an offensive coordinator in the NFL and gained the additional leverage of being the overwhelming choice of fans and boosters.

Both schools receive nearly the same amount in revenue at about $44 million annually according to the latest survey compiled by USA Today. Fresno receives about 44.3 percent of its funding from outside sources while UH gets 38.5 percent externally and deals with higher transportation costs.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.