SYDNEY >> The University of Hawaii athletic department expects to net somewhere between $350,000 and $400,000 from Friday’s College Football Sydney Cup game in Australia, athletic director David Matlin said at halftime of UH’s 51-31 loss to Cal.
“It will be one of our top five nets,” Matlin said.
Most major costs were picked up by sponsors.
The Rainbow Warriors left ANZ Stadium directly for the airport after the game. They now will be tested by another long trip, to the Big Ten’s Michigan, for a game Saturday. The Wolverines are ranked seventh in the Associated Press preseason poll and the Warriors will be big underdogs again.
Michigan is an early 41-point favorite against Hawaii.
The team returns to Hawaii in two weeks to open its home schedule against Tennessee-Martin at Aloha Stadium before taking on another power conference team on the road, Arizona of the Pac-12.
UH and Cal received an exemption to start their seasons a week earlier than the rest of the NCAA.
Matlin said three UH players being suspended from the game for breaking team rules did not negate what was otherwise a positive experience (other than the final score).
“Well, all I can really say is when team rules are broken there are consequences,” Matlin said. “Hopefully everyone learns from it and it makes for a better team.”
Safety Daniel Lewis, tight end Tui Unga and linebacker Jerrol Garcia-Williams could be back on the field for the Michigan game, coach Nick Rolovich said after the game.
“I think everything else has gone well,” Matlin said. “Our student-athletes responded well.”
Hawaii would be eligible to play in another international game in four years.
“If we’re given the opportunity we’ll definitely think about it,” Matlin said. “It’s been a good week. Great for the team, the program and the state. Hopefully it was a good bonding experience for the team.”
Matlin has previously said if UH receives a similar international opportunity in the future it would work toward a nonconference schedule with less other travel than this one.
Matlin told the Sydney Morning Herald he thinks the NFL might be interested in staging a game in Sydney.
“Obviously (the NFL is) paying attention to this,” he said. “I think it’s a possibility. I think you have the facilities and the sports enthusiasts, so it’s a real good place for sporting events.”
This was Hawaii’s first football game overseas. Cal tied Washington State 17-17 in the Coca Cola Classic in 1987 in Japan.
Hawaii’s future nonconference road games include at UCLA and Massachusetts in 2017, at Army and BYU in 2018, at Washington in 2019 and at Arizona and Oregon in 2020.
