STRENGTHS · Northern Colorado won only once last year and finished a woeful 0-8 in the Division I-AA Big Sky. So why are they playing Hawaii?

It’s a good way to start the final days of summer for a program located in Greeley, north of Denver, where the average low in October is 37 degrees. Granted, the Bears are picked to finish last again in both Big Sky preseason polls, but they do welcome back 6-foot-6 senior quarterback Dominic Breazeale. He completed 105 of 183 passes for 1,018 yards, two touchdowns and nine interceptions. Breazeale is the top returning rusher as well, with 68 yards and two scores.

Senior wideout Brian Barmann is also back. He finished second on the team in receptions with 21 for 283 yards. Leading tackler Christian Sarmento returns as well. The junior linebacker had 81 tackles last year and one sack.

WEAKNESS · Northern Colorado finished last in the league in scoring offense and defense, which is no real surprise when you see the team’s record. The Bears averaged only 11.7 points a game and yielded 33.9, with little hope for rapid improvement.

Second-year head coach Scott Downing is rebuilding his team and will need more time before the Bears are competitive. Their September opener at Aloha Stadium will be a difficult test to grade.

In a game like this, that is basically being played for money, you have to keep your personnel from suffering too many major injuries. Nonconference games have their place, but it’s the conference meetings that count.