LOS ANGELES » This isn’t the first time the University of Hawaii football team is opening on the road as a 40-point underdog.
When Norm Chow was a 9-year-old kid in Palolo in 1955, UH went to Nebraska with a roster of 28 players. It returned to the islands with a 6-0 win against a team that had beaten the Rainbows
50-0 the previous year.
As unlikely as such an upset was then, it would be an even bigger stunner if the Warriors were to pull off something of that nature today against preseason No. 1 USC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Playing fields of college football’s haves and have-nots were uneven in 1955. Now they seem even more tilted, even though schools like UH could be better described as have-somes in 2012. They just have a whole lot less than the USCs of the world.
No one knows this better than Chow, who was the Trojans’ offensive coordinator in one of their many glory eras in the early 2000s. He was a big part of two national championships and the development of Heisman Trophy winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart.
Chow knows what his young team in transition is up against.
If you want an indicator of the difference between these programs, take a quick look at recent facility upgrades and the level of public support.
Despite serving out an NCAA probation, the Trojans just completed construction of the $70 million McKay Center, a state-of-the-art facility designed to back up the claim over its door: "THROUGH THIS PORTAL ENTER THE WORLD’S GREATEST ATHLETES." No one ever said the Trojans were humble.
While USC is a private school with plenty of big-money backing, UH is beholden to the state Legislature. It struggled to obtain matching funds to start construction on the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletic Complex, after the Ching Foundation put up the first $5 million.
The financial support for facilities ties into the quality of athletes you can attract. The Trojans’ roster is chock-full of top-rated talent. I generally don’t put much stock in the prospect rating system. But when a college football team has nearly 50 players who received some level of All-America recognition in high school, it does mean something.
Toss in that it is quarterbacked by Heisman Trophy candidate Matt Barkley and it means they will probably be favored in every game they play this year until they lose one.
It is very unlikely that will be today. The Warriors would have to play a perfect game and then still get some breaks to win.
When UH last played here in 2003, the Warriors remained in the game until a couple of calls went against them. Then the Trojans took complete control and the Warriors did not respond quickly or strongly enough.
"We have to be able to forget the bad things that happen … and the good," defensive coordinator Thom Kaumeyer said of UH having a chance to hang in today.
Although they won’t admit to it publicly, it is widely believed there is no love lost between Chow and USC head coach Lane Kiffin, who were on the Trojans staff together briefly. Kiffin has excuses to leave his starters in to try to run up the score: He can claim that pollsters and Heisman voters need to be impressed. Hawaii’s goals include playing well enough that USC doesn’t have the option of benching its starters.
I’m not irrational enough to pick the Warriors to win the game, but I think they have enough ability and motivation not to be embarrassed in Chow’s debut. If by some miracle the final score is 6-0 like 1955 at Nebraska, Hawaii wins. But something like 38-14, USC, is much more realistic — if UH can avoid turnovers and self-doubt. And even then, that’s looking at it optimistically for Hawaii.
