Imagine the old coach stirring from his slumber Thursday morning, awakened by the rays of 2015’s first sunlight reaching into his Manhattan Beach, Calif., home instead of the pre-dawn din of an alarm clock for once.

As he gropes for his glasses, Norm Chow trips over one of his grandkids’ toys and stumbles upon a revelation:

"It is a New Year and, with it, a new opportunity," he declares.

One that as recently as a month ago, he’d wondered whether he might ever be afforded. Never mind whether it was a paucity of cash or a power vacuum that might have been responsible.

Suddenly, a New Year’s resolution begins to form.

Not a half-hearted one as in some years past, but one rooted in the cold realization that this could well be his last year as a head coach. And, with it, his last chance to turn around the University of Hawaii’s fortunes. A final opportunity to step out of the dark shadows that have hung over the program since the last winning season of 2010. 

Reflecting on an 8-29 record to show for his three years of hard work, Chow is quickly infused with determination to forge a breakthrough. He vows to make his fourth season at UH different from what has preceded it, starting with himself.

"No longer," he tells himself, "will I succumb to petulance. It doesn’t become me. And, anyway, I’m tired of being a grump — and the people around me are tired of it, too."

This time, Chow vows, ego won’t be a barrier. Three years of trying to run the whole show and supervise offensive play-calling just isn’t working under the current model and something has to give before it is too late.

"If I can find the right guy to do it, I’ll turn over the offensive reins and let somebody else call the plays," Chow decides. "If not, then as some, including one particularly bright reporter, are suggesting, I’ll go up in the box and do it myself while somebody else handles the sidelines. Historically, it is where I have done my best work, anyway."

With positive feelings mounting, Chow declares, "I’m going to stop worrying about all the things we don’t have and just concentrate on working with what we do have."

As he mentally surveys the 2015 opposition, Chow frowns at the daunting task that playing at both Wisconsin and Ohio State provides. "Why," he asks himself, didn’t I listen to the advice from Kansas State’s Bill Snyder and seize the schedule?"

But there is also an understanding that the rest of the nonconference schedule — Colorado, UC Davis and Louisiana-Monroe — will come to Aloha Stadium and is all winnable games. That’s two teams who went a combined 6-18 and an FCS opponent. 

And, the Mountain West, especially the West Division, doesn’t exactly shape up as Murderer’s Row, either. 

Split in conference and win three nonconference home games and a winning season can be had. 

Feeling much better about a 2015 that has barely begun, Chow allows himself a rare smile. 

Then, he wonders: "What’s longer, the shelf life on New Year’s resolutions or a coach without a winning season?"

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com.