When the University of Hawaii football team joined the Mountain West Conference, one of its fervent wishes was to avoid being stuck with back-to-back league road games, pretty please.

So, the schedule makers must have done a double take when, amid the scramble to put an 11th hour, re-juggled schedule together last month, the Rainbow Warriors, of all teams, raised their hand and said they’d be willing to open this season with two games on the road.

But what seemed like certain lunacy in September now has some possibilities this last week in October. What some deemed “taking one for the team,” er.. conference, now has the appearance of a bold bet. A real trick or treat opportunity on Halloween eve.

After winning the season opener 34-19 at Fresno State on Saturday, the Warriors move on to Wyoming for Friday’s Fox Sports 1 national TV appearance where Las Vegas oddsmakers are listing them as one-point favorites against the 0-1 Cowboys.

If, somehow, UH gets out of Laramie, the highest elevation (7,220 feet) in major college football, with a victory — and without frostbite (temperatures could be in the 30s for the 7:45 p.m. Mountain time kickoff ) — the Warriors will be sitting in a pretty lofty position one fourth of the way through this abbreviated league race.

Those are some big “ifs” of course, but taming the Bulldogs has opened up some opportunities as they set up camp in Denver on Sunday in preparation for the Cowboys instead of flying home for a couple of days only to return.

“We said we would do back-to-back because some Mountain West schools were having trouble getting charter flights at the last minute,” UH athletic director David Matlin said. “It wasn’t necessarily going to happen, but we said we’d be willing to do it.”

Matlin said, “Every school had to make some concessions. This isn’t a normal year and the whole goal was to get the games in. So, I think this was us doing our part.”

Besides, in the long-shot event that the pandemic slowed enough on our shores to eventually open up Aloha Stadium to some fans, UH would have a back-loaded home schedule to take advantage.

Matlin said, “The decision was made based upon wear and tear (on the team) and limiting the (virus) exposure. And, with a Friday game, it didn’t make sense to fly back (home) and come right back, again.”

UH officials couldn’t say if there would also be a financial savings with the move.

After Friday’s game, Matlin said, “Hawaiian Airlines is actually going to have a plane for us in Denver (to head home), which will then go to Oakland to refuel and we’ll be able to stay on the same plane, which is awesome. That way, we’ll be able to get home fairly early on Saturday, which couldn’t have worked out better. We’re very appreciative.”

Plans call for the Warriors, who arrived in Denver early Sunday, to remain in their “bubble,” holding practices and study halls. No doubt mindful of their 2013 visit, when snow fell the day before the game and kickoff time temperatures dropped below freezing, UH plans to bus into Laramie on Thursday.

“Just in case,” Matlin said. “Because you never know this year.”

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.