Rather than stick new football coach Norm Chow with a school-record seven road games in his inaugural season, the University of Hawaii might opt not to play a 13th game in 2012.

Athletic director Jim Donovan, who makes the final call, said he briefed Chow on the dwindling scheduling options when they met Thursday.

Under Mountain West Conference policy, UH said it has until Jan. 15 to notify its new conference of its schedule for 2012.

UH currently has 12 games — eight conference and four nonconference — scheduled and said it has been looking for a 13th game since Texas State withdrew from an apparent agreement in July.

After exhausting several possibilities, Donovan said one NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision school — "and there is only one left" — was "considering" traveling to Hawaii. But Donovan said the unidentified school had concerns about playing 13 consecutive games without an open date.

Donovan said "the only other options, if we don’t get that team, are playing another away game — which would give us seven away games and six home games — or not filling it and playing just a 12-game schedule."

UH is running an accumulated net deficit of more than $9 million and could use money from a 13th game.

But with nonconference road games at Southern California and Brigham Young, plus four Mountain West Conference road contests, Donovan said he is reluctant to saddle the new coach with seven road games in a transition year. UH has never played more than six road contests in a season.

Donovan said playing a home game against Ohio State, which is prohibited from playing in a bowl under recently announced NCAA sanctions, is not a consideration.