The Hawaii Bowl is in discussions aimed at a six-year extension that would keep it operating through at least the 2025 season, potentially providing the University of Hawaii a measure of security amid the changing bowl landscape.
The extension would take the Hawaii Bowl through a 24th season. The game, re-branded with SoFi as a title sponsor, marked its 17th season with Louisiana Tech’s 31-14 victory over the Rainbow Warriors on Saturday.
That would make it the longest running college football bowl game in the state’s history.
The Aloha Bowl had a 19-year run (1982-2000) at Aloha Stadium before it moved to Seattle and eventually ceased operation, spawning a lawsuit that is still active. The companion Oahu Bowl lasted just three years (1998-2000).
Hawaii Bowl owner and operator ESPN Events’ current agreements with the Mountain West Conference, Conference USA and Aloha Stadium run through the 2019 season paralleling most other games.
The Hawaii Bowl was a creation of the Western Athletic Conference (UH’s former conference), ESPN and UH after the Rainbow Warriors went 9-3 in 2001 and were left without a postseason berth despite trouncing ninth-ranked Brigham Young, 72-45, in the regular-season finale.
Since the Hawaii Bowl’s debut in 2002, eight of UH’s nine postseason appearances have come in it.
Pete Derzis, ESPN senior vice president, college sports programming and events, said “It would certainly be everybody’s intent that UH be there (in the Hawaii Bowl),” unless the ‘Bows qualify for a higher-level game.
This year, for the first time, there was some uncertainty over whether the ‘Bows would be assured the game even after they had earned bowl eligibility.
In the WAC and, subsequently upon joining the MWC in 2012, there was a handshake agreement that if UH was bowl eligible and did not qualify for a higher-level game — as occurred with the 2008 Sugar Bowl — the ‘Bows would play in the Hawaii Bowl.
But after San Jose State was left without a bowl in 2013 despite beating two conference members who were placed ahead of it, the MWC adopted guidelines based upon record, standings and head-to-head results for placing its members when there are not enough bowl openings.
With the prospect of seven bowl-eligible teams and only six available bowl slots this year, San Diego State athletic director John David Wicker publicly campaigned to make his school the pick over what would have been a 7-6 UH team had the Aztecs gone to 8-4 by prevailing over the ‘Bows in their regular-season finale.
Ultimately, UH defeated the Aztecs, 31-30, in overtime, and Wyoming (6-6) got left home.
MWC Commissioner Craig Thompson said Saturday the conference is likely to revisit its policy in May at its annual meetings.
ESPN Events, which owns and operates 14 other bowls in addition to the Hawaii game and televises more than two dozen games, is apparently looking for added flexibility in the upcoming bowl structure to place teams more with an eye to geography and matchups than so heavily along conference tie-ins.
For example, the Hawaii Bowl might not be as bound to taking representatives from Conference USA or the MWC as it has been.
But Derzis said, “We want to work with the Mountain West, when Hawaii is bowl eligible, to make sure they are front and center at Aloha Stadium.”
