The Schedule and the BCS

Seems like everyone picked the week of the Fresno game to write about the schedule and its effect on UH's BCS chances, or at least the talk surrounding it.

From Reid Cherner of USA Today:

A perfect season gives them a shot at a spot in a Bowl Championship Series game and a boost to the Heisman Trophy chances of quarterback Colt Brennan.

A victory — a la Boise State's against Oklahoma in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl — would give the Warriors the respect they feel has been missing from their detractors who point to their weak schedule.

"I would be lying to you if I said it wasn't talked about or mentioned, but we've done a good job all year of just concentrating on our team and blocking out the outside stuff," says wide receiver Ryan Grice-Mullen, who has 66 catches and nine touchdowns in eight games.

From Jake Curtis of the San Francisco Chronicle:

Because of their low computer ranking, the Warriors are only No. 16 in this week's BCS standings. The best team Hawaii has beaten is San Jose State, which blew a big lead and lost to the Warriors 42-35 in overtime and has fallen to 3-6 after losing its two WAC games since then by a combined score of 72-7.

Hawaii won't face criticism about its schedule the next three seasons because it plays Florida on the road in 2008, then hosts Wisconsin in 2009 and USC in 2010, assuming those schools don't buy their way out of contracts the way Michigan State did for this year's scheduled game against Hawaii.

From Russell Levine in the New York Sun:

While Kansas may get knocked for a soft schedule, the Jayhawks' slate looks like a brutal slog compared to Hawaii. Still, by remaining undefeated, the Warriors have put themselves in position to earn a berth in a BCS bowl. Fresno State is by far the best team Hawaii has faced this season — but the Bulldogs have to visit the Islands, where Hawaii enjoys one of the greatest home-field advantages in all of sports.

Conversely, people who say that should be giving UH credit for tough wins on the road with the advantage reversed.

From Bryant-Jon Anteola of the Fresno Bee:

The Warriors' nonconference schedule this year is a complete contrast to the heavyweight bouts Fresno State signs up for in coach Pat Hill's quest for the Bulldogs to also become a BCS buster.

While Fresno State would be the first in line for trips to USC, Louisiana State and Oklahoma and "leave no doubt," as Hill has said, Hawaii filled out this year's nonconference schedule with the likes of Northern Colorado and Charleston Southern.

Nonetheless, a BCS berth to Hawaii this season would render Fresno State's motto of "anyone, anywhere, anytime" irrelevant.

Why spend so much energy bashing down the front door when the back door is wide open?

And from Chuck Carlton of the Dallas Morning News (via the Advertiser):

The problem is the schedule. Hawai'i has played Northern Colorado and Charleston Southern in a nonconference slate that went beyond cupcake to the entire dessert cart.

Benson notes the problems began with Michigan State, which bought its way out of a game this year.

Few big-time teams wanted to face coach June Jone's spread offense and quarterback Colt Brennan, who needs just three touchdown passes to break Ty Detmer's Bowl Subdivision career record. Hawai'i scrambled to schedule name opponents including Michigan, Indiana and several Pac-10 schools.

Michigan opted to face Appalachian State instead. Other schools declined.