The University of Hawaii is joining forces with the Mountain West Conference to propose legislation to the NCAA that would allow the Warriors to open the football season a week earlier than other teams.

If approved, the change could be made as soon as 2013.

UH athletic director Jim Donovan said the proposal was prompted by the Warriors’ inability to fill a 13-game schedule for the 2012 season.

UH said it believed it had a 13-game schedule for 2012 until it said Texas State pulled out of an apparent agreement in July. UH said it had sought to fill the opening with a home game against several schools, including UCLA, East Carolina, Arkansas State, Buffalo, Toledo and Florida Atlantic.

Donovan said UH gave the most recent prospect, Florida Atlantic, "a deadline but that deadline has passed, so it looks like we’re going to play 12 games."

Mountain West Conference members were due to submit their schedules this past Sunday. The MWC is expected to release its schedule in March. UH joins the MWC on July 1.

Under an NCAA exemption granted UH in the 1950s, the Warriors — and any opponent that travels here — may play one more game than the normal regular season limit, currently set at 12.

But with several conferences adding championship games, a 13th regular-season contest leaves potential opponents without an open date.

Donovan said then-UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel was intrigued by the possibility of playing UH here and the schools had several discussions in the fall.

"They were definitely considering it before their coaching change until they realized they’d have to play 13 straight without a bye," Donovan said.

Until its own coaching change, UH had entertained the possibility of playing a school-record seventh road game if necessary. But, "playing seven away games in a 13-game season, especially with a brand-new head coach and changing offenses, wasn’t something we wanted to do," Donovan said.

With a 12-game schedule, UH would be bowl eligible with six victories or more. A 13-game schedule would require seven wins.

Donovan said UH, with MWC backing, is drawing up a proposal to be submitted to the NCAA this spring. Action could come as soon as this summer.

Donovan said season-ticket prices will remain the same even with a 12-game schedule, "because there is still a pretty substantial discount from the face value of the tickets with the season-ticket package."