College Football Predictions – Hawaii Rainbow Warriors 2020 College Football Preview
July 2020
OCTOBER 2020 – Schedule notes updated.
2019 Recap
Record – 10-5
ATS – 8-7
Yes, guy.
Hawaii was fun to watch AND very successful. They bagged double-digit wins for the first time since 2010 and bagged a division title. It all came down to a date with San Diego St in late November and they won a SNOT BUBBLER by a score of 14-11. They fell to Boise St in the Mountain West Championship Game but ended the year on a high note by taking down BYU in the Hawaii Bowl (W 38-34).
Former HC Nick Rolovich did some fine work here and left to take the same gig at Washington St. Hawaii made a strong hire in Todd Graham who has been the HC at Rice, Tulsa, Pitt, and Arizona St and compiled an impressive overall record of 95-61. Let’s go!
2020 MEGALOCKS Opening Power Rating
West Division – TBD
Mountain West – TBD
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors 2020 Outlook
OFFENSE
The THROW game worked as expected last year and the Rainbow Warriors ended the season ranked #5 in the country in passing offense (337 YPG) whilst boasting a 4,000-yard passing QB in Cole McDonald. Hawaii will move on from McDonald this year (NFL – Titans) and give the keys to the ignition to back-up Chevan Cordeiro who performed pretty well when called upon LY (8-3 TD to INT, 212 rush yards, 3 TD). Hawaii boasted an impossible THREE (!) 1,000-yard WRs a season ago and came close to having a fourth player turn the trick. The only one of those 1,000-yard men back in the mix is Jared Smart (1,129, 5 TD LY) so they will need to uncover some new weapons in the THROW GAME. The odds are good. The run game is a bit of an afterthought in this offense but it’s always nice to have a solid back to rely upon. RB Miles Reed tallied over 900 yards and 8 TDs on the ground LY and is a very reliable option when they choose to utilize the rushing attack. The offensive line looks solid and returns four starters up front including star LT Ilm Manning, and recall that last year Hawaii allowed the 2nd fewest TFL/game in the conference.
We still expect them to be one of the more potent offenses in the conference but the passing numbers will likely be down from last year.
DEFENSE
The defense was a bit of a mess last season (#8 MW scoring defense, #8 total defense) and held serve on just enough occasions for them to win a bunch of one-score games (5). They were soft vs the run (203 YPG, #11 MW) but were acceptable vs the pass whilst picking off 16 passes (#3 MW). A lack of PENETRATION was a major issue as they only bagged 17 sacks. Six starters return to the stop unit and there are some decent pieces to build around. The biggest concern on defense in the DL (uh, oh) that loses a small handful of their leading tacklers and returns nobody who recorded more than 2.5 (!) sacks in 2019. Four starters return in the back-seven including three in good-looking secondary. Cortez Davis is one of the best CBs in the Mountain West and they return a pair of starting safeties including leading tackler Khoury Bethley.
Hawaii has allowed 30+ PPG in five consecutive seasons. They’ll struggle to hold opponents under that benchmark this year but they could be better than advertised should they find a way to cobble together some kind of pass rush. <grabs popcorn>
SPECIAL TEAMS
It’s time to introduce a new punter and PK this year. Ryan Meskell was just 10/17 on FG attempts in 2019, so it might work out well to try someone new. Hawaii was good on KR LY but dismal returning punts. There are enough explosive athletes on board to expect decent results.
Schedule Analysis
Overall – Hawaii gets a tough draw out of the Mountain division (Boise, Wyoming) and play three of their first four games ON THE HIGHWAY.
Potential ATS Trouble Spot – Nothing heinous noted.
Season Win Total
TBD
MEGALOCKS says:
TBD
MEGAmazing Tidbits
In 1923, a rainbow appeared over Moiliili Field after an upset of Oregon St (W 7-0), and local reporters began calling UH athletic teams the “Rainbows.” #TriviaBOMB
MEGALOCKS Outlook:
This team is still a contender in the Mountain West, and certainly for the division crown in the West division. The offense is going to SCORE THE FOOTBALL but it’s unclear how much help they’ll get from the defense. New HC Todd Graham can COACH EM UP, so we won’t bail on these guys just yet. They’re a notch below the Aztecs on paper and feel that the most likely scenario is a decent season and a bowl appearance.
Want more Hawaii Football ?
WEBSITE
https://hawaiiathletics.com/sports/football
FORUM
http://www.sportshawaii.com/sh/viewforum.php?f=3
https://247sports.com/college/hawaii/Board/WSN-Ohana-102452/
NEWS
http://hawaiiwarriorworld.com/category/football/
http://www.mwcconnection.com/hawaii-warriors-football
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/sports/ncaa/hawaii/
https://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/62/hawaii-rainbow-warriors
TWITTER
Hashtag – #HawaiiFB
Accounts to follow