Remember when visiting football coaches would regularly bemoan the rigors of travel to Honolulu — before even getting on a plane to play the University of Hawaii?

Recall the woe-is-us whine about the humidity, how they’d curse the time difference and lament the decibels at Aloha Stadium?

And what do you hear from coaches these days?

Nothing.

There’s nary a peep from recent visitors. In fact, about all Tim DeRuyter, coach of tonight’s Rainbow Warriors opponent, unbeaten Fresno State (3-0), said this week was, "This isn’t a pleasure trip, this is a business trip."

That’s a far cry from his predecessors, Pat Hill and Jim Sweeney, who viewed it as an arduous odyssey to an inhospitable environment, the combination of which defined a home-field advantage. They became so spooked that they came to see conspiracies in airline delays and slow-moving traffic on the ride in from the North Shore.

These days few use "home-field advantage" and "Aloha Stadium" in the same sentence during UH’s 39th season there. Or, if they do, it isn’t making opposing head coaches quiver in their head sets anymore.

It isn’t just that UH is paying travel subsidies — $150,000 for the Bulldogs and $175,000 each for teams beyond the Pacific Time Zone — to underwrite charter travel in comfort for Mountain West Conference opponents that has come to soothe visitors, either.

It is the fact NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision opponents have won seven of the past 10 games played at Aloha Stadium over three seasons. The three victims being Tulane, Nevada-Las Vegas and South Alabama, while the conquerors have included Utah State and New Mexico.

You’ll still find Aloha Stadium listed as among the most sizeable home-field advantages in college football, as with the No. 8 ranking by the respected PredictionMachine.com heading into the season. Oklahoma and Wisconsin topped the list.

But in the case of UH, which comes in winless (0-3) tonight, it is a reputation largely earned in earlier, better days; one badly in need of validation once more.

Paul Bessire, who compiled the rankings for PredictionMachine.com, noted in an email, "all data goes back to 2000, which plays a role in the strong Hawaii lean. Also, play on the road relative to expectations is just as important to play at home relative to expectations. Since 2000, Hawaii has been about 6.3 points better at home than what would be expected on a neutral field. This is almost a full field goal better than the college football average (3.6 points)."

Once upon a time UH had a significantly loud and large fan base. But tonight, after a 29-day absence, UH said it hopes for a turnout of 28,000 in its 50,000-seat stadium against the 25th-ranked team.

For all the "Protect This House" urgings of the Under Armour banners that ring the field, the home-field advantage is sagging as badly as it has in more than a decade.

And if a return by Fresno State can’t inspire a lift, you wonder what will?

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