SEATTLE >> This is the weekend that the 2-0 University of Hawaii football team gets an up close and personal glimpse of how the other half lives.
The half that is nationally ranked not only by the media and coaches for prowess on the field, but also by Forbes and the Wall Street Journal for the bankroll it has and the multi-millions in moolah it produces.
The University of Washington, today’s opponent along the placid, yacht-dotted Montlake shore, is not just a member in good standing of college athletics Power Five Conference elite, it is among the most well-funded upper crust.
Likely not since the trip to Ann Arbor, Mich., in 2016 have the Warriors (weather permitting) played before a larger crowd (capacity 70,193), higher ranked team (23 media, 21 coaches), among as nicely appointed facilities on the road or against as well-heeled an opponent
“It is gonna be a big difference when our guys see it,” coach Nick Rolovich said. “But our rusty 45-pound weights weigh the same as their 45-pound weights with glitter, sparkle and bedazzle on them. But this is going to be another step up.”
UW has put $281 million — nearly the projected cost of the entire new Aloha Stadium — into the refurbishing of the 99-year-old on-campus Husky Stadium since UH’s last visit here in 2011.
The Huskies have also left Nike and, just this season, begun a 10-year, $120 million apparel deal with Adidas that ranked as the seventh most lucrative in the country. The cash component is more than 20 times that of UH’s apparel deal with Under Armour.
Forbes says the Huskies are the 19th “most valuable college football team,” averaging $84 million in revenue annually (and “profit” of $36 million) between 2014 and 2017. According to a 2016 report in the WSJ, if the Huskies were a pro team, they’d be worth an estimated $378.23 million on the open market, 15th in the country.
Part of the reason is that UW athletics pulls in $30.9 million from its conference affiliation, whereas UH gets about $5 million.
That kind of money underwrites some steep coaches salaries — UW’s defensive coordinator makes double Rolovich’s salary — impressive facilities; an extensive, staff-dietician-overseen training table; first-class travel and well-funded recruiting.
“I like the fact that we’re an underdog,” Rolovich said. “I think it is going to be a little easier (confidence-wise) because we’ve just beaten two Pac-12 teams with our Sodexo breakfast after practice and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for snacks.”
Rolovich acknowledges, “(Having) stuff is nice, but I’ve never really been any place where you have everything you need. What you need to find is what are the important factors in winning football games, if winning is your ultimate goal. The auxiliary things are nice, but I still believe that you win with people, you don’t win with stuff. You look at (Washington) coach (Chris) Petersen. His history is that he has won with character but not stuff (at Boise State). Now, he has the stuff, so he has the best of both worlds.”
As for UH, Rolovich said, “Our guys know they (the Huskies) have 11 players (on the field at a time) and so do we. The game is still 60 minutes. Some things don’t change, no matter where you play, or who you play. Our guys, many of whom didn’t really have many scholarship offers, play with a chip on their shoulders. They really love football and playing together — that is as important to them as having stuff.”
Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.