5 burning questions for UNLV-Hawaii

Five key questions as UNLV’s football team prepares to play at Hawaii at 8 p.m. PST Saturday:

1. Do the Rebels have a chance? They’ve been blown out their past three trips to Hawaii. Now UNLV has changed its travel plans to treat this more like a typical road game. UNLV can be competitive and even win, but the odds are against the Rebels.

2. Have any players given up? Maybe some have, but in general, this is a team that has played hard even when games have gotten out of hand. It helps that the Rebels finish the season against their two most heated rivals.

3. Will quarterback Blake Decker start? Too difficult to say at this point. He appears much more beaten up than he was last week when it was obvious early he would start Saturday at Brigham Young. Jared Lebowitz has played the past two weeks, so at least he has experience if called upon again.

4. Which coach is more in trouble, UNLV’s Bobby Hauck or Hawaii’s Norm Chow? It’s Hauck. Difficult to see him returning next season unless the Rebels find a way to win their final two games. If that happens, it will make athletic director Tina Kunzer-Murphy’s decision harder. Word is Chow should return next season.

5. Which program is in more trouble, UNLV’s or Hawaii’s? In this case, it’s Hawaii. You think the Rebels have financial problems? The Rainbow Warriors are in even worse financial shape, and they have some serious decisions concerning what to do with football. UNLV has similar questions, but Hawaii is in an even more urgent situation.