Hawaii Asked For It...

The University of Hawaii football team demanded respect from the rest of the NCAA. They demanded to be placed in a major bowl game. Thier fans and supporters continually shouted about thier unedefeated season and the staggering records thier quarterback had set this season. They said they could compete with any team in the nation and wanted a chance to show the world that they could compete for a national championship.

I've said it before... Watch what you wish for.

Hawaii got thier shot. They were put on display in front of the entire world in the Sugar Bowl last night. They faced the #4 or 5 (depending on which poll you follow) ranked Georga Bulldogs. And Hawaii got the living crap kicked out of them.

The Georgia defense spent so much time behind the Hawaii line of scrimmage that they should have been paying rent. Colt Brennan spent more time on his ass then he spent on his feet. And the Georgia offense ran wild all night long.

The score was Hawaii 10, Georgia 41. It could have been much worse.

Hawaii was never in the game at any point. They never put up any sort of competitive fight. They showed nothing to indicate that they deserved to be playing in the Sugar Bowl.

This should be a lesson to the BCS, the fans, and teams of the minor conferances like the WAC. An undefeated season is meaningless is you never play any tough games. Hawaii's schedule is a joke, and the WAC is not desercing of BCS consideration. Last year's Boise St. victory over Oklahoma was a fluke and this proved it.

Maybe if Hawaii had played a tougher schedule, they might just have realized they were not very solid in some portions of thier game, thus saving themselves a great deal of embarassment. They gained nothing from this game. Thier performance will not help thier recruiting. They did nothing to promote the strength of thier conferance. They certainly did nothing to improve the draft expectations of Colt Brennan. And they did not exactly leave thier players and fans with a happy experience leading into next season.

They wanted to play with the big boys, and they got crushed. It could be a devastating blow to recruiting, and very demoralizing to the players who remain. Was it really worth it?

UPDATE: It seems that Hawaii coach Junes Jones might be escaping back to the mainland. SMU will pursue Hawaii coach Junes Jones and is prepared to pay between $1.5-1.7 million per year to lure him to the Conference USA school, according to two people familiar with SMU's strategy.

For the record, SMU stands for Southern Methodist University.