Hawaii should play for title

In a season replete with surprising results, no school escaped the upset bug in college football’s top division, except for one. For the second straight year, going undefeated was the Western Athletic Conference champion, this year the University of Hawaii, on the heels of 2006’s WAC invincibles, Boise State.

After Boise’s thrilling Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma, BSU sent a loud message that schools from smaller conferences can compete with bigger schools in bowl games.

For its part, Hawaii tried to show it belonged with the big boys by opening the season at Michigan. However, now-deposed coach Lloyd Carr rejected the offer and decided to play a school from a lower division, Appalachian State. APSU, which recently ended the Eastern Washington Eagles’ postseason, shocked its host and started a season of improbable upsets.

If championship-caliber teams are allowed to count regular-season wins against smaller conferences or divisions (and the title combatants, Ohio State and LSU, have combined for six such wins,) then undefeated schools like Hawaii have earned the right to play them for the national championship.

Simon Roloff

Spokane