You are sixth in a long line of cars following a slow driver on a one-lane road.

You are granted a super power to move a car.

Many would move their car to the front and take off.

The Big West would move the slow lead car to the back of the line so everybody else could accelerate.

Read more ‘It shocked me by surprise’: Kealakehe alum Warren named to All-UFL team

That duality of selflessness and support should be remembered as 15 UH sports and the Big West part ways. UH will be regarded as a full member of the Mountain West on July 1.

From 2012 through this month, UH has been a football-only member of the Mountain West while most of the school’s other sports competed in the Big West. The nearly all-in move will enable UH to share in the Mountain West’s national television revenue, have an equal say in league matters and, presumably, upgrade to a higher-regarded conference.

But there will be more challenges in the Mountain West. Of this coming season’s 10 football-playing members, six are located in elevation. North Dakota State and Northern Illinois are in the Central time zone. (But the league is in the process of eliminating the travel subsidies the UH football team pays to long-time Mountain West members Air Force, UNLV, San Jose State, New Mexico and Wyoming for games played in Manoa.) In contrast, UH and Grand Canyon’s swimming team were the only Big West members not based in California. In the Mountain West, the Grand Canyon and New Mexico basketball programs are said to have name-image-likeness bankrolls that are 10 times greater than Hawaii’s.

Among critics, there has long been a sense that UH was too good for the Big West (and predecessor Pacific Coast Athletic Association). As far as back as the 1980s, Western Athletic Conference member UH was encouraged not to play PCAA football teams because it would hurt its ratings.

The Warriors proved to be worlds ahead when it destroyed Cal State Fullerton 44-0 at Aloha Stadium in 1987. Titans coach Gene Murphy described UH defensive end Al Noga as being from another planet. Told of Murphy’s remark, Noga said he was from “Planet Kalihi.” Five years later, Fullerton dropped its football program. Following the 2000 season, the Big West stopped sponsoring football.

While the Big West has thrived in several sports, particularly baseball and volleyball, the California-based schools’ amenities and facilities pale compared to Hawaii’s. UH has the Big West’s largest baseball stadium, arena and media relations staff.

Read more AJ Dybantsa selected by the Washington Wizards with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft

The thing is, the Big West has always been supportive of its members, even when they were heading to the exits. Fresno State, Boise State, San Diego State, San Jose State, Utah State, North Texas, Nevada and UNLV were among the schools that made a name in the Big West before departing. UNLV won the 1990 NCAA basketball tournament.

The Big West always had an open invitation to UH. After 11 years in the Big West, UH’s women’s teams joined the men’s programs in the WAC in 1996. In July 2012, UH departed the WAC — the football team joining the Mountain West, most of the other teams joining the Big West. At the time, the Mountain West did not want UH as an all-sports member.

The Big West was accommodating. They did not ask for a piece of UH’s local television rights fee from Spectrum Sports. They did not require all UH’s baseball and softball games to be streamed. The league’s postseason basketball tournament was transformed into a Hawaii-sponsored event.

In August 2024, five Mountain West schools announced their intent to secede and join what remained of the Pac-12 this July 1. To reinforce the league, the Mountain West asked UH to become a full member. The move meant three UH programs would be without a home. The Mountain West does not sponsor men’s volleyball, beach volleyball or water polo. Instead of shutting the door on UH, the Big West allowed those three programs to remain. It wasn’t that the men’s volleyball program would provide reflected glory — UC Irvine and Long Beach State could still carry the league’s banner — it was just another act of kindness from the Big West.

UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara also announced their intended exit from the Big West to join the West Coast Conference. But both schools needed more time to prepare for the transition. Could they stay for another year and then move for the 2027-28 academic year? It would be like asking for a divorce but needing to stay in the house until enough money is saved. The Big West’s response: Sure, of course you can stay.

UH should be grateful to the Big West for providing shelter on the journey to bigger and better things.

Read more Increased traffic enforcement on Saddle Road results in more than 1,000 vehicle stops