It is a fitting scenario that a Nick Rolovich-led Cal football team will face Hawaii in the Dec. 24 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl at the Ching Complex.

As UH’s quarterback in 2001, Rolovich threw for 543 yards and eight touchdowns to upset then-unbeaten BYU 72-45 in the regular-season finale. The Rainbow Warriors finished 9-3 but were not not invited to postseason bowl on the continent. The Hawaii Bowl was created in 2002 to provide a postseason game for a bowl-eligible UH team.

That 2001 season “absolutely” led to the creation of the Hawaii Bowl, according to Jim Donovan, who was UH’s associate athletic director at the time. “Because the team did so well in 2001 and had nowhere to go, that caught ESPN’s attention, and they worked with us” to start the bowl.

Rolovich, who was UH’s head coach for

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