It’s been five years since things were looking bright for Hawaii football.
In 2019, the Rainbow Warriors went 10-5, losing to Boise State in the Mountain West Championship and defeating BYU in the Hawaii Bowl. Nick Rolovich was named the MW Coach of the Year before being hired at Washington State.
Hawaii has been trying to find its footing ever since.
Last season continued to look bleak, as the Warriors were 2-7 and coming off a 35-0 home loss to Nevada. They turned things around, though, and ended the year strong by winning three of their final four, including a victory over Air Force. This was one of the biggest upsets of the college football season.
After having a few years to establish a culture and build some consistency among his players, we’ll see if head coach Timmy Chang can get the Rainbow Warriors back to a bowl game. He brought in veteran coaches to help, with Dennis Thurman taking the spot as the new defensive coordinator and Dan Morrison as the new QBs coach.
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Hawaii Football’s Mountain West Title Odds
Hawaii’s college football betting odds to win the Mountain West are +5000, via BetMGM.
Hawaii Football’s Betting Odds & Over/Under Win Total
Hawaii’s win total Over/Under is 5.5 with the Over at -120 and the Under at +100.
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Hawaii Football’s 2024 Schedule
8/24 vs Delaware State
8/31 vs UCLA
9/14 at Sam Houston
9/21 vs Northern Iowa
10/5 at San Diego State
10/12 vs Boise State
10/19 at Washington State
10/26 vs Nevada
11/2 at Fresno State
11/9 vs UNLV
11/16 at Utah State
11/30 vs New Mexico
Bold indicates Mountain West contests
Key Hawaii Football Returners
2023 All-Mountain West Second Team
WR Steven McBride
Honorable Mention
WR Pofele Ashlock
DB Peter Manua
QB Brayden Schager
DB Cam Stone
Can Hawaii Football’s Offense Become Multi-Dimensional?
Chang’s offense is a high-powered passing attack. Would you expect anything less?
Prior to coaching at his alma mater, Chang was a gunslinger in the early 2000s. He currently ranks second all-time in the FBS in passing yards (17,072) and is 11th in touchdowns (116).
It only makes sense his current offense prioritizes airing out the ball. But that’s the only area where the offense found success last year. The Rainbow Warriors did not have an effective rushing attack, finishing second to last in the FBS with 76.1 rushing yards per game while their six rushing TDs on the season ranked last.
Hawaii had seven different players finish as the leading rusher throughout the season while the highest single-game rushing total by one individual was 76 yards. The team didn’t eclipse 1,000 rushing yards on the year, finishing with 980. The loss of Tylan Hines because of a Week 4 season-ending injury didn’t help, but Hines struggled to get things going in his own right, rushing for 93 yards on 27 attempts.
It’s hard to have a strong passing game when the rushing game is nonexistent.
Still, Brayden Schager was second in the league in passing with 272.5 passing yards per game and 26 TDs. His 3,884 all-purpose yards led the Mountain West.
Maybe Hawaii doesn’t need a rushing game?
Even though Schager — who entered the transfer portal in December but then decided to return — made it work last season, the Rainbow Warriors only averaged 21 points per game. There’s no doubt a strong rushing threat will make this offense that much better.
The Warriors have three returning starters on the offensive line in Ka’ena Decambra, Luke Felix-Fualalo, and Sergio Muasau as well as Maurice Ta’ala who started four games. They are returning an excellent pair of receivers in Steven McBride and Pofele Ashlock. McBride ranked fourth in the Mountain West with 1,024 receiving yards and Ashlock finished sixth with 832. Both had nine TDs. Hines will also return along with Landon Sims and David Cordero, who took a bulk of the carries last year.
And with what should be a solid defense – including an excellent secondary — the Rainbow Warriors have most of the pieces they need to make it back to a bowl game. Establishing a consistent rushing attack could be a big factor in if they’re able to do that.
2024 Hawaii Football Season Prediction
I think Hawaii could squeak in an upset to get to six wins and a bowl game.
If the team can carry its momentum from 2023 into this year, then there’s a strong chance they’ll pull off an upset or two.
The Rainbow Warriors’ non-conference schedule is light, and I expect them to win against Delaware State, Sam Houston, and Northern Iowa — although the latter will be tough. I also think they will pick up wins against Nevada and New Mexico at home.
The other games Hawaii could win are at San Diego State and Utah State. I predict Hawaii to win one of these games to finish a surprising 6-6.
