‘Bounty games’ a way of life for UH football these days

After the University of Hawaii football team had collected the biggest check in its history ($650,000) for a 2008 pummeling at Florida, head coach Greg McMackin expressed relief at the absence of any additional "bounty" games on the schedule.

But times — and UH’s financial urgency — have changed significantly, as the addition of a $1 million visit to Oregon in 2020, the opener of a three-game series with the Ducks, further underlines.

After playing just two "bounty" games in the previous nine years, the Rainbow Warriors will play at least five over the next six seasons for the lucrative paydays they bring.

Before the 2015 season is a month old, UH will be on its way to cashing in on $2.3 million with stops at Ohio State ($1.2 million) and Wisconsin ($1.1 million).

In future years UH is booked for a $1 million check at Michigan (2016), a $600,000 stop at UCLA (2017) and the Oregon visit.

With Kansas asking out of a home-and-home series for 2016 and 2017, there is the likelihood UH will add at least one more road game against a Power Five Conference opponent; though a big bucks game at this comparatively late date might be difficult.

UH is not alone in chasing the moolah, of course. Struggling low- and mid-major teams have done it for ages, and in recent years it has become a widespread fact of life. This week two of the Rainbow Warriors’ Mountain West opponents, Utah State (2016) and Nevada-Las Vegas (2019), announced big-money deals to play at USC.

The Rebels are contracted to receive $1.15 million for playing the Trojans and will get $1 million for this year’s game at Michigan and $1.3 million at Ohio State in 2017.

The difference for UH is that it has long had the luxury of not having to chase road-kill paychecks. Once upon a time the attraction of Hawaii, the extra game that opponents could book by playing here and UH’s own bottom line meant the ‘Bows could be selective about its nonconference trips.

But that has changed. The extra game, now a 13th, has lost its allure for visitors. Conferences have late-season title games that preclude trips here, UH can’t afford competitive guarantees and the ‘Bows need bucks.

Where UH could get two-for-one deals bringing marquee teams twice to Aloha Stadium in the past — USC for example — it now counts itself as extremely fortunate to secure the deal it has with Phil Knight’s favorite school and Wisconsin.

The arrangement with Oregon, which hasn’t played UH since 1994, was largely made possible by the fact that the Ducks, who had six players from Hawaii on their 2014 roster, would like to maintain a firm recruiting presence in Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota’s back yard.

Under the terms of the contract, UH visits Eugene twice (2020 and ’23) and the Ducks come here once, in 2024. The visitors will each get $500,000 for the ’23 and ’24 games. Apart from the big money 2015 game at Wisconsin, UH and the Badgers exchange $400,000 checks for 2022 and ’24 games.

These days, particularly if it quacks like a Duck and pays big bucks, count UH in.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com.