By John Erardi
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Hawaii quarterback Timmy Chang, center, leads a potent attack with 19 touchdown passes this year. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

The University of Hawaii football team is 8-2, ranked No. 25 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll, and its run-and-shoot offense is racking up more yards than any team in the country.

As though that won't be enough pressure Saturday, the Cincinnati Bearcats (5-5) have already cooked up enough pressure for themselves: They are two victories shy of being bowl eligible, with three games left.

"Hawaii has an advantage because they get you to come out there," Minter said. "It takes eight or 10 hours to get there and we're losing a day of practice. They get you in a festive mood, all wide-eyed and jet-lagged. Beyond all that, you're playing a very good football team."

So, why Hawaii, and why now?

It was a game that was scheduled several years ago as a good recruiting tool.

"(But) if you had it to do over again, and you could project this exact scenario, it's not the time to go to Hawaii when your bowl hopes are on the line," Minter admitted.

That said, he still looks at the trip as an educational opportunity for the Bearcats to visit sites like Pearl Harbor. He added that curfews will be intact.

"I've never been to Hawaii myself, and neither have most of our players and most of them will probably never get to go back," he said. "It's a business trip, and yet you also what to see some things: visit Pearl Harbor and get out on the beach a little bit. But curfews will be intact. There's a lot on the line."

The Bearcats leave Wednesday, but won't practice that day although there would have been time. Instead, the Bearcats will get right into the spirit of things with a luau, and then practice hard Thursday and go a bit lighter Friday.

"Some (visiting) teams do practice the first day - you gain five or six hours going out there - but we're going to ... work them hard (today) and make sure Thursday is a good, solid practice," Minter said.

Given Hawaii's wide-open offense - four wide receivers on every play - UC has to go into the game as fresh as possible.

Friday's practice will be slightly more physical than normal, but it will still be without pads as per usual. Given Hawaii's wide-open offense - four wide receivers on every play - the Bearcats have to go into the game as fresh as possible.

"For our defensive front, it's going to be like sumo-wrestling the whole game, rushing the passer," Minter said. "We're going to be wallowing with guys, bang-bang-bang, and the defensive backs are going to be running their tails off, trying to cover routes."

Minter said the critical factor for Bearcat players being able to play their best Saturday is buying into the concept that during the week, they have to turn their concentration on and off like a light switch.

"Enjoy the trip, yes, but for those 50 to 60 guys who are going to dress out, line up and play for us, they have to be able to say that when we're in meetings or between the white lines, it's all business," Minter said.

It isn't a bowl trip, in the sense that the team is at the host site for a full week. But it is a "special trip," worthy of being put in a class of its own, considering the venue.

"It's more than going to Southern Miss or going to East Carolina," Minter said. "I haven't noticed any palm trees in Greenville, N.C. You don't want to miss things (in life). We went to Rutgers my first year here. We visited the Statue of Liberty ... Any time I can get my guys somewhere where they might just not ever get back to, I think it's worthy of us to do those things, as long as we're mature enough to separate what the purpose of trip is, and what can be gained from going that way."

Minter thinks that UC's bowl experiences the last few years will help his team on this trip.

"As the song says, you may never pass this way again, so take advantage of it," Minter said. "Then again, Hawaii has been awfully tough to beat at home, so you know going in that there are a lot of things in their favor, and they have a very good team on top of it. That's home-cooking at its best."

As for himself, Minter says it's almost exclusively a business trip, except for the visit to Pearl Harbor and whatever time he can get on the patio to enjoy the climate. Oh, and a visit to a Hawaiian shirt shop. Minter plans to lose the UC-red sweater vest and tie.

BOWL TALK: The Bearcats are still alive for any of the five bowl games that have affiliations with Conference-USA, UC officials said Monday.

"We're sitting here at 5-and-5 and we know we have to win two out of three - minimum," Minter said. "You can't receive a bowl bid until you're bowl-eligible ... And the bowl landscape changes if we're not bowl-eligible until Dec. 6 (UC's final game of the regular season, at East Carolina.).

"If this trip (to Hawaii) doesn't turn out the way we want it to, we have to go two-for-two in C-USA (at home vs. Alabama-Birmingham next week and at East Carolina). And we haven't won in Greenville, N.C., since I've been here. That doesn't mean this wouldn't be a good time to start."

C-USA at a glance

Team	League	Overall
TCU	5-1	8-1
Louisville	4-2	6-4
Southern Miss	4-2	6-4
UAB	4-2	5-5
Cincinnati	4-2	5-5
East Carolina	3-2	3-6
Tulane	3-4	6-5
Houston	2-5	4-6
Memphis	1-5	2-8
Army	1-6	1-9

C-USA bowl affiliations:

Liberty Bowl*, Memphis (Dec. 31)

Houston Bowl, Houston (Dec. 27)

Hawaii Bowl, Honolulu (Dec. 25)

GMAC Bowl, Mobile, Ala. (Dec. 18)

New Orleans Bowl (Dec. 17)

* Conference champion

UC's remaining games: at Hawaii (Saturday), at home against UAB (Nov.30), at East Carolina (Dec.6)