For the University of Hawai'i football team, the road to retaining the Western Athletic Conference championship passes through the intersection of Broadway Avenue and University Drive next week.

That's the location of Boise State's Bronco Stadium, where the Warriors have a nationally televised date with the unbeaten (4-0, 1-0 WAC) and 15th-ranked Broncos Friday.

But for that game, a mid-season rematch of last season's WAC title showdown, to mean much, the Warriors (2-3, 1-1 WAC) need to negotiate the looming pothole that is Louisiana Tech on Salt Lake Boulevard and Kamehameha Highway tonight.

The Bulldogs very nearly ended UH's perfect regular season before the excitement really got started last year. Truth is Louisiana Tech came within a bold call by then defensive coordinator Greg McMackin and defensive back Gerard Lewis' batting down of a two-point pass attempt in the end zone of knocking off UH in the second game of the season.

Appropriately, it was a daring blitz, a gambit UH had come to call its "save-our-life" that saved the night — and season to that point.

There is a lesson in that 45-44 overtime victory as the Warriors take on Louisiana Tech (2-2, 0-1), a team with potential to knock them for a loop tonight.

While there's no perfect season, national ranking or Bowl Championship Series berth riding on this one for UH, there is still the Warriors' highest remaining goal, defending the WAC title, and getting back to the postseason.

What UH's upset of 22-point favorite Fresno State last week did was keep the Warriors in contention to repeat their conference title. But just barely. The San Jose State loss was UH's mulligan and the Warriors used that up in the conference opener.

So, from here on out, history tells us there is little room for slip-ups since nobody has won — or shared — a WAC football title with more than one loss in the last eight seasons. And, the betting is that this year won't be any different.

The next three games, Louisiana Tech tonight, Boise State next week and Nevada (3-2, 1-0) in Aloha Stadium the following week, will pretty much tell the tale on the WAC season — and a lot more — for the Warriors.

But first and foremost is Louisiana Tech. And the thinness of the Las Vegas betting line says the Bulldogs and their coach, Derek Dooley, who has had eight days to prepare for this one, merit UH's full attention. The Warriors are but 7 1/2 -point favorites by many oddsmakers, the second lowest home spread for a WAC game in more than two years. Only Boise State, a 3 1/2-point underdog for last year's title game, faced shorter odds.

For a program that has been unable to defend either of its two previous WAC titles (1992 and '99) or follow them up with a bowl return, the Fresno State victory has given the Warriors a lot to play for this season. But only if they get past tonight's potential pothole.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.