Mac

[TrueOrange]

They got smoked by Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Here's their schedule amd stats and stuff from that year

2007 Hawaii Warriors Schedule and Results | College Football at Sports-Reference.com

Well the smoked by UGA part wasn't really what he was asking about; the question was how they went undefeated but only made it as high as 10...though the loss did later validate the ranking/barrier from the very top; how it really factors into reaching only as high as 10, though, was in how - being a minor conference school, not being a national recognized name or power - the voters appeared to have ranked them under the presumption of "they're a minor team; they'd certainly still lose to a good(/recognizable) major team" (even in such a bizarre year where the tops of everyone save the big 10 had 2 losses...like Kansas might have been the only major conference school with a single loss season)

It does show however how high one of these teams would to be ranked though to hit the appropriate spot. Hawaii started off at #23 and (albeit with a schedule of small teams save a #19 Boise State) only made it as high as 10 in that bizarre of a year. It seems likely that a mid-major conference team would have to start off at least higher than 20, maybe even 15 or higher, to be in contention (without having previous, say, Boise-State-like recognition).


Also kinda weird they didn't have their usual 13 games that season.

 

[TrueOrange]

Interesting, that team must have been like a team you would see in a movie - go undefeated, you think they will win it all then they go back to reality and get destroyed - roll credits...

Hawaii fans must have loved that year!

No one but the people in charge of trying to get people to watch the Sugar Bowl that year thought they'd win it all, and even then they were forcing the Boise State-OU Fiesta Bowl comparisons, almost like buzzwords.

They probably did enjoy themselves that season though; that program's never seen anywhere near that success

 

[Notorious B.E.N]

Well the smoked by UGA part wasn't really what he was asking about; the question was how they went undefeated but only made it as high as 10...though the loss did later validate the ranking/barrier from the very top; how it really factors into reaching only as high as 10, though, was in how - being a minor conference school, not being a national recognized name or power - the voters appeared to have ranked them under the presumption of "they're a minor team; they'd certainly still lose to a good(/recognizable) major team" (even in such a bizarre year where the tops of everyone save the big 10 had 2 losses...like Kansas might have been the only major conference school with a single loss season)

It does show however how high one of these teams would to be ranked though to hit the appropriate spot. Hawaii started off at #23 and (albeit with a schedule of small teams save a #19 Boise State) only made it as high as 10 in that bizarre of a year. It seems likely that a mid-major conference team would have to start off at least higher than 20, maybe even 15 or higher, to be in contention (without having previous, say, Boise-State-like recognition).


Also kinda weird they didn't have their usual 13 games that season.

I was just adding that they got smoked, letting him know that they weren't all that great. I showed him their schedule so he could see for himself what kind of teams they played and how crazy their stats were.