Hawaii Football: Rainbow Warriors look for a miracle vs Colorado State
By Paul Taylor
Hawaii football travels to the mainland to take on Colorado State, but do they have a genuine shot at beating their conference opponents?
If it feels like the season has come around quicker than usual for the Rainbow Warriors, it’s because it has. Literally. The Aug. 25 opener is the earliest start to a season in the program’s history.
Talking of season openers, Hawaii has an impressive all-time record of 60-36-5. Under Nick Rolovich specifically, they have a 1-1 record, with the win coming last season on the road against UMass.
The 38-35 victory in Hadley, Massachusetts was somewhat surprising, with the Rainbow Warriors entering the contest as two-point underdogs. In that respect, they will once again be underdogs when they begin their season on Saturday.
This time, however, Hawaii will face more substantial odds against Colorado State, with Odds Shark making them 14-point underdogs. This comes as no shock, after the Rams destroyed the Rainbow Warriors 51-21 last season at Aloha Stadium.
In general, the Rams have had their way with the Warriors for quite some time with seven straight wins, including winning the last four by an average of just under 20 points. The Rams also lead the all-time series 15-9.
Hawaii isn’t helped by the fact they enter the 2018 campaign without their starting quarterback from last season. In addition, they have lost their leading rusher and receiver from 2017.
With all this in mind, it is entirely understandable why no one is really giving the Rainbow Warriors a shot to come away with a win on Saturday. As per Odds Shark, the average predicted scoreline is 33.9-6.0 to the home team.
Regardless, there will still be some excitement among Hawaii football fans. In particular, they will be intrigued to see how the offense performs, with the return of the run-and-shoot.