The University of Hawaii football team has the distinction of being the only team in the 12-member Mountain West Conference playing three opponents from Power Five conferences this year.

But for all the boldness in taking on challenges and the degree of difficulty that presents — the Rainbow Warriors open the season with Arizona, Oregon State and Washington (in Seattle) in succession — the rest of UH’s schedule announced Monday sets up pretty well, all things considered.

What that leaves the ’Bows with now is a schedule that is merely arduous instead of downright daunting.

Putting together consecutive winning seasons for what would be the first time since 2006-07 still figures to be an uphill task for the ’Bows coming off an 8-6 finish and Hawaii Bowl appearance. But at least the conference portion will not unduly exacerbate the challenge.

Consider, for example, that the ’Bows will play eight home games for the first time since 2002, will make just five road appearances for the first time since 2007, do not venture beyond the Mountain time zone for the first time in five years and have managed to elude the dreaded back-to-back road game gauntlet for only the third time in 14 years.

For the only team in the NCAA’s Football Bowl Subdivision that routinely logs more miles than the most well-traveled NFL teams, doubling up on consecutive road contests has been a particular grind on several fronts, including not only travel wear and tear but missed classroom time and finances.

In the 3-10 season of 2015 the ’Bows got a double dose of back-to-back road games playing Wisconsin-Boise State and New Mexico-Nevada. Not coincidentally, perhaps, they went 0-4 over those two swings.

This year an open date, Oct. 5, breaks up what would have otherwise been consecutive road contests at Nevada (Sept. 28) and Boise State (Oct. 12). For UH, which has yet to win in Boise, that’s about the best positioning you could ask for. If, that is, you could request a specific open date, which UH says the MWC schedule makers do not permit.

And, unlike last year, when the open date came in the 12th week of a 14-week regular season, this time they are in is Weeks 1 and 6.

Additionally, the ’Bows get a running start at conference play, which doesn’t open for them until Nevada. The West Division portion of it is back-loaded, with four-fifths of divisional play taking place in November.

After the rarity of not playing any teams from the more well-heeled Power Five conferences last year, UH plays a quarter of the Pac-12 both this season and in 2020 (UCLA and road games at Oregon and Arizona).

Nobody else in the MWC tackles more than two Power Five foes and half the conference takes on just one each. But, then, UH is one of the few Mountain West teams that can secure home-and-home scheduling agreements thanks to its location and the so-called “Hawaii Exemption,” whereby opponents are allowed to play in Week Zero and play a 13th game.

The lone nonconference road game takes UH to Washington Sept. `14.

For the Rainbow Warriors, the 2019 schedule comes deep in both challenges and opportunities.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.