The Temple Owls are trying to schedule a football game at Hawaii this December, the Star-Advertiser has reported.
Temple’s 2012 schedule currently consists of only 11 games. When it was released in March, the Owls were still actively seeking a 12th game.
“It’s very far from a done deal. We’re going through the due diligence,” Rockne Freitas, Hawaii’s acting athletic director said.
A source at Temple confirmed the report to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Enquirer, who also spoke to Owl athletic doirector Bill Bradshaw.
“One of the challenges we had in joining the Big East was going from eight conference games to seven,” Bradshaw said. “And we worked diligently to schedule a 12th game.”
Hawaii currently has 12 games on their 2012 football schedule. But under The Hawaii Exemption, Hawaii and teams that play at Hawaii are allowed to schedule 13 games. The extra game allows both teams to offset travel costs to and from the island.
If the game is approved by the MWC and the NCAA, it would be played on Saturday, Dec. 8 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu.
It would also serve as a de facto postseason for both schools since neither is likely to be bowl eligible. Hawaii is currently 1-5 on the season, while Temple is 3-3. But the Owls have tough games remaining against Pittsburgh, Louisville, Cincinnati, Army, and Syracuse.
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