Hawaii should play for title

A football team can only beat the teams on its schedule.

That’s exactly what the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors did. They ran the table and went a clean 12-0 in the regular season.

Now they should be playing for the BCS National Championship.

Yes, I said it.

The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and their leader, Heisman Trophy candidate Colt Brennan, should be playing for the BCS National Championship.

In a season when the No. 2 team in the nation has lost seven times and there is no clear No. 1 team in the nation, there is no better candidate than Hawaii.

Southern California, Boston College, South Florida, West Virginia, Kansas and Oregon have all lost while ranked as the No. 2 team in the nation.

Ohio State and Missouri each lost while ranked No. 1. Louisiana State accomplished the feat twice, and will still face the Buckeyes in the National Championship.

Why not give Hawaii a shot?

Last year, the big fuss was whether Boise State and deserved to play against the Oklahoma Sooners in the Fiesta Bowl.

Not only did Boise State prove it belonged in that game, it won the game, 43-42, and provided one of the most entertaining and memorable games of our generation.

This year, another “second-tier” program is stuck on the outside because of its lack of school tradition.

But once again, all Hawaii could and did do, was beat everyone on its schedule. This year, the teams in front of Hawaii aren’t even close.

Make this happen: the team who doesn’t lose should play for the championship. Period.

Especially in a year like this.

Don’t get me wrong. I understand that Florida was the best team in the nation last year, but there is no reason under the sun that Brennan’s squad shouldn’t play for the championship.

College basketball has learned and definitely does it the right way.

The supposed “mid-majors,” like Virginia Commonwealth, Northern Illinois or Bradley, always surprise the bigger teams.

And that’s because the games aren’t formulated by the computers. Or played on paper. They’re played by giving teams a chance to play.

And nobody qualifies more than Hawaii.

Boise State ran two unorthodox plays in that game against the Sooners. The Broncos ran a hook-and-lateral to send it to overtime. They then proceeded to run a Statue of Liberty play to win the bowl game, which is one of the gutsiest play calls ever.

And with Hawaii’s lethal offense, I’m looking forward to more of the same.

Too bad it won’t happen in the BCS Championship Game.

Terrance McNeil can be reached at tmac32@temple.edu.