The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors take on the Arizona Wildcats in Tucson, Arizona, on Saturday, Aug. 30. Kickoff is set for 10:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
Arizona is favored by 17.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -800. Hawaii, meanwhile, comes in at +550 to pull off the upset. The over/under is set at 52.5 points.
Here’s my Hawaii vs. Arizona prediction and college football picks for Saturday, August 30.
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors vs Arizona Wildcats Prediction, Picks
- Hawaii vs. Arizona Pick: Arizona -17.5
My Arizona vs. Hawaii best bet is on the Wildcats to cover the spread. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
Hawaii vs Arizona Odds, Spread, Line
| Hawaii Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+15.5 -108 | 54.5 -110o / -110u | +440 |
| Arizona Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-15.5 -112 | 54.5 -110o / -110u | -600 |
- Hawaii vs Arizona Spread: Arizona -15.5, Hawaii +15.5
- Hawaii vs Arizona Over/Under: 54.5 Points
- Hawaii vs Arizona Moneyline: Hawaii ML +440, Arizona ML -600
Hawaii vs Arizona NCAAF Week 1 Preview
I’m going all in on Arizona here. At the "Big Bets on Campus" event in Chicago, I kept telling people that Arizona was sitting at -13.5, and that number felt way too low given how things were shaping up.
Hawaii’s offense has struggled big time. Head coach Timmy Chang owns a record of 2-15 on the road. Things just don’t click for his team away from the island.
Out of 11 drives against Stanford in Week 0, the Rainbow Warriors managed just one methodical drive and no explosive drives. To put that into perspective, an explosive drive is gaining 10 yards per play, and Hawaii didn't have that kind of firepower.
Plus, quarterback Micah Alejado is dealing with a high ankle sprain, though he’s expected to play. As he proved in that game against Stanford, he's tough. But anyone watching could tell he wasn’t right, as he even had to hop off the field.
On the flip side, Stanford ran the ball 42 times and got stuffed on seven of those carries. That’s a Stuff Rate of roughly 15%, which sounds low, but it sounds even lower when it comes to the national average of about 30%.
Hawaii was supposed to have one of the best defensive fronts in the Mountain West with its defensive line and linebackers, and yet, it couldn’t even hit half the national benchmark against Stanford’s run game.
I just don’t buy its defense at this point.
Arizona’s going through some changes, too, with Seth Doege taking over the Air Raid offense. I’m expecting Noah Fifita to show up better than last year, and they brought in a new transfer center who should help shore things up.
Hawaii just won’t be able to exploit anything here.
Hawaii vs Arizona Week 1 Pick, Best Bets
The Rainbow Warriors might've emerged victorious against the Cardinal in Week 0, but this is entirely different.
Chang's teams have struggled away from the island, and they didn't show enough against Stanford to convince me that they can actually compete here with the defense they're fielding.
Add in Alejado's injury, and that becomes even more apparent.
All things considered, I’d be comfortable taking Arizona all the way up to -21. I’m locking it in at -17.5 for the Wildcats. Arizona’s got this one.
Pick: Arizona -17.5 (Play to -21)
How Can I watch Hawaii vs Arizona?
- Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: TNT
- Location: Arizona Stadium, Tucson, AZ
