During the week some former Arizona State football notables have come back to speak to the current Sun Devil players.

One day it was Lt. Gen. John Goodman, Marine Corps Pacific commander, and a former Sun Devil quarterback (1964-'66). Just the other day it was Kahuku's own Junior Ah You (1969-'71), a two-time Fiesta Bowl defensive most valuable player.

But while the past has spoken, sometimes stirringly, to the Sun Devils, the current University of Hawai'i football team has an opportunity to speak both directly and eloquently to its history today.

With the nationally-televised Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl as their stage, the 2006 Warriors get to state their case for being the best football team in the school's history.

Beat the 7-5 Sun Devils in the season finale and the Warriors finish 11-3, matching the most single-season victories in UH history. Beat ASU impressively and the Warriors likely climb back somewhere in the final Top 25. Both red-letter accomplishments heretofore managed by just one team in school history, the 1992 Holiday Bowl champions who went 11-2.

By sharing the Western Athletic Conference title, beating Illinois in the Holiday Bowl and finishing No. 20, that 1992 team has set the standard by which others have been measured. One few, other than the 10-4 team of 2002, have even come close to since.

But from about the midway point of this season, the 68-37 demolition of Fresno State in the Raisin Capital, we knew there was something special about this team which has been steadily raisin' comparisons. By the time these Warriors were in the midst of what became a school-record nine-game single-season winning streak, the showdown of eras seemed inevitable and the debate had begun.

Both will have played six bowl-bound teams. Both will have played teams from the Pac-10 and Big Ten. Both were the best of their offensive eras, the spread option and run-and-shoot.

These 2006 Warriors, leading the nation in three prime offensive categories (scoring, passing and total offense), have long since become the most potent offense in school history behind quarterback Colt Brennan and a distinguished offensive line. As the total package — offense, defense and special teams — they have stirred the state and won fans back to Aloha Stadium in numbers that could top 40,000 on Christmas Eve.

To be sure, no matter what unfolds on the FieldTurf in Halawa today, this will go down as an almost magical season. It will be remembered as a special team, one of heart, cohesion and selflessness. One of exploding record books and amazing offensive displays. It will have been responsible for turning a huge corner from the disappointment of 5-7 of a year ago and bringing back fringe fans.

But with today's game, there is more to be had and a legacy to burnish. Beat ASU and you'd have to say this rates as UH's best team. It would certify their place atop 90 seasons of football history in Manoa and leave a standard for future teams to chase.

But lose to the Sun Devils and it would mean back-to-back season-closing setbacks to Pac-10 teams. In that case, not only do the opportunities to win 11 games and finish in the final polls disappear, but so would much of the argument for being UH's best.

After a beyond remarkable 13-game ascent, these Warriors stand on a rare threshold, four quarters away from making a statement of long-time proportion.

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