- Pac-12 Stanford visits Hawaii in the Cardinal’s season opener Friday
- Mountain West Hawaii is 3-point underdog in its home opener
- Read below for Stanford vs Hawaii analysis and prediction
Hawaii (0-1) plays host to Stanford in the Rainbow Warriors’ home opener at Honolulu Stadium at 9 pm ET Friday on the CBS Sports Network. Hawaii opened the season with 35-28 loss at Vanderbilt last Saturday.
The Pac-12 upheaval has given Stanford more to deal with while it tries to recover from a 3-9 season and the retirement of long-time head coach David Shaw. New coach Troy Taylor turned Sacramento State around in his last stop, but he has a lot of work to do here.
Let’s analyze the Stanford vs Hawaii odds and provide our picks for this Friday night college football game.
Stanford vs Hawaii Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford Cardinal | -3 (-115) | -164 | Over 55.5 (-110) |
| Hawaii Rainbow Warriors | +3 (-105) | +136 | Under 55.5 (-110) |
Stanford opened at minus-176 on the moneyline but dropped to -164 after early action, meaning the Cardinal now has a 62.1 implied winning probability.
The Cardinal has won all three previous meetings, although the most recent was its 39-7 victory in 1972, when Hawaii played as an independent. The total dropped from 58.5 to 55.5 late in the week.
Odds from FanDuel Sportsbook on Aug. 31. Claim the FanDuel promo code to bet on Friday Night College Football.
Hawaii Goes Deep
Timmy Chang set the FBS record for career passing yards (since broken by Case Keenum) as the Rainbow Warriors’ quarterback from 2000-04, and he has returned to his roots in his second season as head coach. Chang has installed the run-and-shoot offense coach June Jones made famous, a system Chang did not have time to fully implement after being hired late in the 2022 offseason to replace embattled Todd Graham, forced to resign after a player revolt.
Despite the loss, Hawaii showed so much potential. Brayden Schager balled out and showed us he can lead this team!
He went 27/34 for 351 yards, 3 TD’s and a 189.4 QB Rating. Coach Timmy Chang has found his guy! #BRADDAHHOOD x #GoBows pic.twitter.com/QwDRMXTmC2
— Field Court & Diamond (@FieldCourtDmd) August 27, 2023
Junior quarterback Brayden Schager threw for a career-high 351 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions in the season-opening loss 35-28 at Vanderbilt, which the ‘Bows covered at a 17.5-point underdog. Senior wide receiver Pofele Ashlock had seven catches for 127 yards and one touchdown and senior wideout Steve McBride went 7-98-2 as Hawaii looks to buck its opening odds to win the Mountain West after a 3-10 record in Chang’s first season.
The run-and-shoot has proved a great equalizer for recruiting-challenged Hawaii. In 15 seasons with the run-and-shoot as the primary system, the Rainbow Warriors are 94-60 with 10 bowl appearances. They were 12-0 in the 2007 regular season before losing to Georgia 41-10 in the Sugar Bowl, and they averaged 33.6 points and 354.6 passing yards in that era.
Stanford Starts the Climb
Pardon Stanford if it is has been distracted recently. The implosion of the Pac-12 has left the Cardinal scrambling for a Power 5 landing spot with no clear destination in sight despite the ACC’s apparent interest. Throw in new coach Troy Taylor, a new up-tempo offense without a proven quarterback and six returning starters … well, what does not kill you makes you stronger, right?
Watch out for E.J. 👀
Smith has been named to the Comeback Player of the Year (@ComebackPlayrFB) Watch List! #GoStanford pic.twitter.com/YuVqkTHLBF
— Stanford Football (@StanfordFball) August 22, 2023
Taylor won 30 games in three seasons at Sacramento State and reached the FCS quarterfinals in 2022 while running a spread offense that includes a lot of no-huddle attacks. The challenge comes at quarterback, where Ari Patu is the leading returnee after attempting nine passes behind NFL-bound Tanner McKee a year ago.
Syracuse sophomore transfer Justin Lamson and sophomore holdover Ashton Daniels (six attempts) are the other starting candidates, and the depth chart listed all three separated by “or.” Lamson redshirted his first season and missed 2022 with a torn ACL.
The Cardinal has not won more than four games in a season since 2018, its last non-COVID winning season, and the college football win totals do not expect much to change.
Stanford vs Hawaii Prediction
Normally this would be a step up in class for Hawaii, but a lot works against Stanford here, not the least of which is that the Cardinal will have an untested quarterback running a new offense behind a line that has only one returning starter. Hawaii has a game under its belt, and it is apparent that the Rainbow Warriors’ run-and-shoot style fits the personnel.
One note: Vanderbilt ran all over Hawaii in a 63-10 romp on the island last season, putting up 601 yards in total offense, 404 rushing. Revenge-minded Hawaii limited the Commodores to 39 yards rushing and 297 yards total offense last week.
Pick: Hawaii +3 (-105)
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The post Stanford vs Hawaii Odds, Pick & Prediction for Friday Night College Football appeared first on Sports Betting Dime.
