Could Hawaii-Sam Houston State Be a Long-Term Series?
More trips to the Lone Star State could aid a Hawaii program at a crossroads
This week, Hawaii and Sam Houston State scheduled a home-and-home series for 2024 and 2025. The series is one of convenience in a way as Hawaii has struggled to find non-conference opponents recently, an issue exacerbated by the scheduling of an in-season home-and-home with New Mexico State.
Hawaii’s non-conference scheduling issues will only get worse when perennial rival BYU enters the Big 12 in 2023. The Cougars have already canceled their series with the Warriors in 2024 and 2025. Consequently, this series with the Sam Houston Bearkats replaces it.
When Hawaii visits Huntsville in 2024, it will be the first regular season visit to the Lone Star State since 2014, when Ikaika Woolsey and company visited Rice and lost a 28-14 game. Notably, Hawaii did visit the Lone Star State in 2020, playing in the iconic New Mexico Bowl in Frisco, Texas and beating Houston 28-14.
In the long run, it may be beneficial for the Warriors to play Sam Houston State regularly. Sam Houston State is behind in the non-conference scheduling game as they move to Conference USA in 2023.
It seems peculiar to panic about scheduling non-conference games 4-5 years away, but programs regularly get ahead on scheduling by locking in games sometimes a decade in advance.
For Hawaii, the benefits are numerous. Most importantly, they get better access to Texas recruits. There were a whopping 15 players from the Lone Star State on the Warriors’ 2021 roster. Playing in Texas may become a competitive advantage against the other team in the Mountain West’s West division who usually do not play non-conference games there.
Additionally, a win over Sam Houston State could serve as a resume building win. The Bearkats were a consistent FCS title contender out of the Southland and WAC, winning the FCS title in the 2020 Spring season.
The Bearkats are in a position to be competitive in Conference USA right now. As the American loses flagship schools, a win over Sam Houston State could make the difference for a New Year’s Six bid in down years for the American
Finally, the home-and-home series gives fans the potential to partake in a fun trip. Obviously, Sam Houston State fans will love going to the Aloha State, but with Huntsville only 70 miles away from Houston, Hawaiians have an excuse for a rare trip to one of America’s largest cities.
Sam Houston State-Hawaii is an intriguing series to watch for the future. Two former WAC members from two different eras of the conference’s long, illustrious history will meet in what should be a competitive series. Both schools and their fans win in a multitude of ways in a unique intersectional clash.