USC sanctions imperil Hawaii game

HONOLULU, June 14 (UPI) -- A two-year probation slapped on USC by NCAA officials last week could imperil its scheduled game at the University of Hawaii, officials say.

The USC-Hawaii contest is scheduled for Sept. 2 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, but UH Athletic Director Jim Donovan said a prohibition against "exempted games" -- part of the sanctions against USC -- could force a cancellation of the contest, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Monday.

Donovan told the newspaper a cancellation of the school's marquee football event for next season would mean a loss of "more than a million dollars -- and that is a conservative estimate."

NCAA Bylaw 17.9.5.2, the so-called "Hawaii Exemption," enables visiting teams to play one game more than the NCAA maximum if traveling to Hawaii.

But the USC sanctions state that "...during the two years of this post-season ban, the football team may not take advantage of the exceptions to the limit in the number of football contests that are provided in Bylaw 17.9.5.2," the Star-Advertiser said.

USC President Steven Sample has indicated the university would "appeal those penalties it believes are excessive."