Now that the Mountain West Conference has decided to play eight conference games a year, the University of Hawaii will focus on filling one game on each of its 2014 and ’15 football schedules.

Southern California is one of the teams UH said it had been talking with until it put scheduling on hold, pending the MWC decision.

"We were in conversations with several schools, but had to put those on the back burner, waiting to see if they’d go with eight or nine (game schedules)," athletic director Jim Donovan said.

At its meetings in La Jolla, Calif., Tuesday, the MWC Board of Directors decided against a nine-game schedule so members could play an additional nonconference game.

The MWC had been debating whether to adopt an eight- or nine-game format for 2014 and beyond as a 10-team conference. Previously the MWC decided to play eight games in 2012 and ’13 when Hawaii, Fresno State and Nevada join while Texas Christian leaves.

The Air Force Academy had been the strongest proponent of an eight-game schedule so it could maintain its traditional national scheduling.

At UH, associate athletic director Carl Clapp said, "I’ve got a whole list of (possible opponents) in a folder and now we can call back and start to close some deals."

Clapp said once the ’14 and ’15 pukas are filled, UH will have one other date to fill before it has five consecutive years of completed schedules.

The Warriors are scheduled to play USC in Los Angeles in 2012 and at Aloha Stadium in 2013.

In other action, the MWC established the first penalties for departure in its 13 years. Members that notify the league by June 30 of the year prior to departing will forfeit their final year of conference revenue. Members who do not observe the June 30 date will forfeit the final year of revenue and either pay $5 million or pay double the amount of the final year’s revenue, whichever is greater.

Also, the contract of commissioner Craig Thompson was extended through June 30, 2015. Thompson’s base pay for 2008 was listed at $342,265.