MOSCOW, Idaho — In escorting a visitor from Hawai'i around the University of Idaho's football facilities, Vandals head coach Nick Holt paused to offer a tongue-in-cheek warning:

"Now, be careful of all the altitude," he said with a solemn voice — and a wink.

Never mind that the elevation here is only 2,660 feet, when the University of Hawai'i football team hits the road, it can be an easy target for digs anywhere. Altitude, weather, distance are all in play as punch lines.

Six consecutive losses since Nov. 2003 have left the impression that while the Warriors might play like supermen at home, the road is paved with kryptonite.

Today's 4 p.m. (Hawai'i time) Western Athletic Conference opener against Idaho in the Kibbie Dome reinforces that impression by the fact that the Warriors are two-point underdogs to a team that has lost five games in a row — all three this year — and is picked to finish last in the nine-team conference.

Small wonder UH coach June Jones says, "a win on the road is how you prove you're coming of age, and that's what we have to do."

To be a factor in the WAC championship again, the Warriors have to prove they can win on the road again. Once upon a time, UH teams were quite the Road Warriors, winning all three away games in Jones' first season (1999), when they shared the conference title.

After Jones' first four seasons (1999-2002), UH even had a winning record on the road, 8-7. Now, it is 10-16.

And the perception is if the Warriors are going to win on the road anywhere, it ought to be here. That after a journey to East Lansing, Mich., and with upcoming trips to Ruston, La., Reno, Nev., and San Jose, Calif., this isn't just one they should win, it is one they must take for a lot of reasons.

The Vandals, a team UH beat handily (52-21) last year in Aloha Stadium, are making their WAC debut after moving over from the Sun Belt Conference. And while they are a program aimed for better things, the Vandals shouldn't be the pick over UH just yet. The Warriors shouldn't be in a position where Idaho makes up a 31-point difference in just 10 months.

After losses against Southern California and Michigan State, the Warriors shouldn't lack for motivation. Not when winning here puts them off and running in the WAC. Win two of the first three conference games to buy some time while things come around and the Warriors just might be able to make a race of things yet.

Conversely, a loss here for an 0-3 start would all but eliminate them from the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl.

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