Hawaii wins over voter
The Hawaii Warriors are clearly No. 1 to the vast majority of people in the 50th State.
But they're also at the top of the list for three voters this week, one in each of the major polls. Only one has a tie to UH and even that person -- New Mexico State coach Hal Mumme -- is a competitor of the Warriors.
Mumme's vote in the coaches' poll and retired sportswriter Larry Keech's in the Harris poll contributed to the 12-0 Warriors moving up to 10th in the BCS standings, cementing their spot in the Sugar Bowl.
The third No. 1 vote, that of El Paso (Texas) Times sportswriter Bret Bloomquist, did not affect the BCS. But it could have the most interesting long-term effect on the Warriors.
Bloomquist votes in the Associated Press poll of media members. The BCS national championship will be determined by the outcome of the game between No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 LSU, Jan. 7, also in the Louisiana Superdome.
But the AP voters are not restricted, and can vote for anyone they want as No. 1 in their final poll.
Bloomquist gave Hawaii its first No. 1 vote ever in the AP poll. He said he plans to put the 10th-ranked Warriors in the top spot again in the final poll after it plays fourth-ranked Georgia (10-2) in the Sugar Bowl.
"I expect Hawaii to win," he said. "I think they could beat Ohio State. I think they can line up with anyone in the country. Their offense can score against anyone, and you win with quarterbacks."
Bloomquist said he didn't have UH very high in his rankings early in the season but, "once teams stared losing, I moved them up quickly."
The 41-year-old UTEP beat writer said he watched the entire games as Hawaii, the only undefeated team in the country, beat Nevada and Boise State, and he saw the end of the Washington game last week.
"I got to see a lot of highlights, too," Bloomquist said. "I do take schedules into account. But winning is certainly the biggest thing."
Bloomquist said he received four e-mails regarding his No. 1 vote for the Warriors. Three (two of them from Hawaii) applauded his choice. One criticized it.
This is Bloomquist's first year covering Division I college football, and his first year as an AP voter. The University of Texas graduate has been a full-time professional sportswriter the past 14 years.
He is also a Heisman Trophy voter. Bloomquist said he selected Florida's Tim Tebow first, Hawaii's Colt Brennan second and Arkansas' Darren McFadden third.
UH junior linebacker Solomon Elimimian said the Warriors appreciate the No. 1 votes and loftiest rankings in school history, but they're not the reason they play.
"It's humbling to know that they think we're that good," Elimimian said. "We are a great team, we played against Coach Hal Mumme, so he would know. At the same time I don't know how much we care. We know we have to win this upcoming game. (The BCS ranking) matters, but it doesn't. We did all we can do and we let the chips fall where they may."
If the Warriors beat the Bulldogs, does UH deserve a share of the national championship? With the game still nearly a month away, Elimimian wisely tiptoed around the question.
"Honestly I don't know. It's very complicated. A lot of people don't know how good a team we are," he said. " If we beat Georgia, more people will come around and understand that Hawaii is a great team. We know we're a great team, and we know Georgia is a great team."
Senior receiver Jason Rivers took a very humble approach when asked if UH should be No. 1 if it goes to 13-0 on New Year's Day.
"I would say no, because these other teams have been good for a long time," Rivers said. "We just started being good. Just like they paid their dues, we gotta pay our dues, too. You can't just come out of nowhere and go straight to the top. You gotta go through the ranks.
"At least some people are giving us respect."
UH coach June Jones said three No. 1 votes is nice, especially one from his colleague Mumme.
"Hal respects what we've done and how we've done it," Jones said of his fellow passing-game advocate.
Jones also deflected the question of deserving a share of the national championship with a win over Georgia.
"I don't have any feelings either way on that," he said. "We're just going to try to play our best. We'll have our hands full."
Brilliant.
To Hal, Larry, and Bret...many mahalos to you.
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