USC and Hawaii will play Sept. 2 game

The NCAA said today it will not stand in the way of the University of Hawaii’s Sept. 2 football season opener with Southern California.

Doubts about the game arose last week when the NCAA’s sanctions against USC cited a prohibition against the Trojans playing exempted games in the 2010 and ’11 seasons. The UH game was an exempted contest in that it was a 13th game when the NCAA normally permits only 12.

But an NCAA spokeswoman told the Star-Advertiser today, “The Committee on Infractions has delayed the penalty that precludes (USC) from playing a 13th game.”

She said the “committee noted a number of factors” including the game had been scheduled “for at least five years”  and that ticket had already been purchased.”

The game is to be nationally televised by ESPN.