SAN JOSE, Calif. — The University of Hawai'i football team is the favorite to win its first outright Western Athletic Conference football championship in 29 seasons of membership, according to both media and coaches' polls.

In something of a surprise, the Warriors out-polled five-time defending champion Boise State in balloting to be announced today at the WAC Football Preview here, according to people familiar with the voting.

UH received six of the nine first-place votes from the conference coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own teams. Thirty-two of 58 media ballots also picked UH first. Boise State was the only other school receiving first-place votes in either poll.

"Preseason polls are preseason polls," UH coach June Jones said. "Hopefully we'll be there at the end. They don't really mean much. We were picked last in '99 (and finished first). We were picked first one other time and finished last."

The Broncos, who finished 13-0 and ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press poll last season after stunning Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, have won or shared the last five WAC titles. The only season in which they did not earn at least a share of the conference championship was 2001, Boise's first year in the WAC. That year the Broncos tied for second.

Hawai'i has lost all six WAC games against Boise State. But a number of factors — UH returning quarterback Colt Brennan and much of its record-setting offense, Boise State losing three-year starting quarterback Jared Zabransky, and Aloha Stadium hosting the Nov. 23 meeting between the teams — the Warriors have earned the nod.

Hawai'i, which is coming off an 11-3 season that tied the school record for victories in a season, had five players taken in the NFL draft but returns 15 starters from a team that finished 24th in USA Today's coaches' poll.

UH has shared WAC titles in 1992 and 1999. Both years the WAC had tri-champions.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com and Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.