The Hawai'i and Army football teams have agreed to a long-distance relationship.

The teams signed a contract to meet four times — twice in Honolulu, twice in West Point, N.Y. — during the next decade.

The first game of the series is Sept. 11, 2010 in West Point. The Warriors will travel 4,954 miles, their longest journey for a road game in the program's history, exceeding the 4,947-mile trip to play Rutgers in New Brunswick, N.J.

The teams also will meet Nov. 30, 2013 at Aloha Stadium; Sept. 15, 2018 in West Point, and Nov. 30, 2019 in Honolulu.

The Black Knights' head coach is Rich Ellerson, a former Warrior player and defensive coordinator.

"I've got a lot of respect for the program," UH head coach Greg McMackin said. "I've got a lot of respect for the coach. I've known him for a lot of years. He does a great job. He has an offense that's really hard to defend."

McMackin said it will be significant to play a military academy in New York on the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

"It's a historical time on Sept. 11," McMackin said. "It's a historical (opponent). At one time, they were the best team in the game, and we'll face some of the most competitive players."

The Warriors will open the 2010 season with a Friday night game against Southern California Sept. 3. Then they will play consecutive road games against Army and then Sept. 18 against Colorado.

How difficult is that opening stretch?

"We'll find out, won't we?" McMackin said, smiling.

He added: "In order to be recognized, you have to play the big people. SC is one of the marquee programs in the country. And any time you play a military academy, it's a special event. The military teams will never let down. It's exciting for us because of the military makeup of Hawai'i. It will be great for the fans of Hawai'i. It's a natural fit. We have so many military people here defending us."