2008 Schedule, Super Games, Smith, AD (w/UPDATES)

UPDATE: Here's the official press release and schedule from UH.

"This is a very challenging schedule, probably one of the most difficult schedules here at the school in some time," head coach Greg McMackin said. "We open with two BCS conference teams on the road in the first three weeks. It won't be easy but I feel with the returnees we have on defense and our excellent recruiting class, we'll be very competitive this season."

Looking at the schedule, looks like the Boise game will be a Friday ESPN game.

...from earlier today, here's an article confirming that, from Dave Reardon.

Hawaii will have a short week to prepare for perhaps the biggest game of its conference football season this fall.

WAC commissioner Karl Benson said today that defending champion UH will play at Boise State on Oct. 17, a Friday. That means the Warriors will have one less day to get ready than normal, after their Oct. 11 home game against Louisiana Tech.

Warriors coach Greg McMackin said his team will deal with it.

"We have a challenging schedule, but I have confidence in our coaches and players," McMackin said today.

The Boise game is on Friday for TV purposes. Benson said that game, as well as at least one of UH's season-ending non-conference games against Cincinnati and Washington State will be shown on ESPN.

UPDATE 2: Here's a press release from the WAC with all the WAC games on ESPN or ESPN2 this coming season.

2008 WAC ESPN/ABC Television Schedule
Date-Game, Time, Network
Saturday, Aug. 30-Mississippi State at Louisiana Tech, TBA, TBA
Saturday, Sept. 6-Texas Tech at Nevada, TBA, TBA
Saturday, Sept. 13-Wisconsin at Fresno State, TBA, TBA
Wednesday, Oct. 1-Louisiana Tech at Boise State, 6:00 MT, ESPN
Friday, Oct. 17-Hawai‘i at Boise State, 6:00 MT, ESPN
Friday, Oct. 24-Boise State at San Jose State, 6:00 PT, ESPN2
Friday, Nov. 7-Nevada at Fresno State, 6:00 PT, ESPN2
Friday, Nov. 21-Fresno State at San Jose State, 6:30 PT, ESPN2
Friday, Nov. 28-Fresno State at Boise State, 4:00 MT, ESPN2
Saturday, Nov. 29-Washington State at Hawai‘i, TBA, TBA
-or-
Saturday, Dec. 6-Cincinnati at Hawai‘i, TBA, TBA

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The Warriors' 2008 schedule will be officially released later today, but the Advertiser already has it.

The University of Hawaii football team will play Boise State and Fresno State on the road in October and will follow that up with back-to-back road games in November, according to a 2008 schedule to be released today.

The 13-game schedule also will have two open dates, Sept. 20 and Nov. 15.

The article has the schedule, and I'll post it in the right sidebar later today. Ferd Lewis writes that there could be many UH games on national TV this season.

ESPN has expressed an interest in UH's game at Boise State in October and either — or both — of the Nov. 29 Washington State and Dec. 6 Cincinnati games at Aloha Stadium. In addition, ESPN is reserving a decision on UH's Oct. 4 game at Fresno State in case the Warriors are doing well. Last year ESPN picked up the UH-Fresno State game 10 days before its Nov. 10 kickoff.

Either or both of the Fresno and Boise games could be moved to Friday nights under terms of the conference's contract with ESPN.

UH opens at Florida on August 30th. Here's an early quote about the game from Gator coach Urban Meyer.

“To be honest, Hawaii scares me to death with a new coach and new coordinator.”

All I know is that they just might have to prepare for the mythical Big Boned Wishbone. I'm just throwing that out there.

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Leila Wai has video from this week's Super Games competition, water polo!

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Daniel Smith is suing UH and former coach Jeff Reinebold.

A high school football player is suing the University of Hawai'i for allegedly revoking his scholarship offer after coach June Jones' resignation.

Daniel Smith, 17, of Boise, Idaho, also names UH's former defensive line coach, Jeff Reinebold, in the suit.

He says Reinebold told him not to speak to any other school when he offered the full scholarship last April, an offer that Smith says was reaffirmed over the next several months.

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Dave Reardon reports that the UH athletic director search committee interviewed Bob Wagner.

Wagner joins Carl Clapp (interim AD), Jim Donovan, Rockne Freitas and Marilyn Moniz-Kaho'ohanohano as applicants who have been interviewed.

Reardon's article also has bios of all five known interviewees. Dick Tomey is not a candidate.

Ferd Lewis writes that the AD will most likely have ties to the local community, and that's a good thing.

For someone who was dogged by the perception that he was reluctant to hire locally, Herman Frazier will practically assure that whoever succeeds him as the University of Hawai'i's athletic director does come from the 808 area code.

As the search committee meets with finalists this week, it is looking more and more that the next AD will come with local knowledge and sensitivity, not to mention a familiar zip code. And that's a good, long overdue, sign.