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Originally Posted by just another ref
You're saying Hawaii should be in the championship game?
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I believe that they deserve an opportunity. BYU won the title in 1984 (83 season) when they were the only team with a perfect record.
It is true that Hawaii won some close games and played a weaker schedule than the other top 10 teams, but is that their fault? They have to play their conference games. Non-conference they played Washington from the Pac-10 and UNLV and two very weak teams. One of those was a replacement for Michigan State who pulled out of a scheduled contest with them. It's not easy for the better midmajors to schedule games with the big boys because they don't want to risk the loss. See Michigan/App St.
It is true that Hawaii won some very close games, but so did LSU. LSU could very easily have lost to Auburn, Florida, and Alabama. I don't see people penalizing them for squeaking out those conference victories.
With schedules being set years in advance it is tough to control this aspect.
My final point is that offensively Hawaii is very similar to a Kentucky team that beat LSU.
In the end, they get Georgia which is an excellent team. They were an eyelash away from the SEC title game. If either Vandy or Kentucky had been able to convert in very winnable situations against Tennessee, Georgia may be in the NCG.
If Hawaii beats them, then they ought to get at least a share of the title.