Stanford vs. Hawaii Predictions, Picks & Odds Week 1: Are Rainbow Warriors for Real?

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30 August 2023

Stanford vs. Hawaii Predictions, Picks & Odds Week 1: Are Rainbow Warriors for Real?

The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors impressed last week despite taking a loss against Vanderbilt and now welcome the Stanford Cardinal to town for their home opener. Read on as we check out our best Stanford vs. Hawaii prediction based on the best college football odds.

Has anyone ever managed to gain credibility after losing to Vanderbilt quite like the Rainbow Warriors have? Bettors backed the Commodores, who were favored by 17.5 points in Week 0, only for Hawaii to engage in a spirited battle, ultimately falling short with a 35-28 score.

As a result of this valiant effort, the point spread for their upcoming clash with Stanford underwent a significant shift, dropping from 7 points to a mere 3.5 points. The Cardinal concluded last season with a discouraging five-game losing streak, conceding 35 points or more in four of those matchups.

The question for our college football best bets looms: Have they undertaken enough transformative changes to warrant being favored in Week 1, or will they encounter challenges against a team that has already gained valuable experience in the early stages of the season?

Here is our best Stanford vs. Hawaii prediction and college football picks (odds via best college football betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale)

Stanford vs. Hawaii prediction: Week 1

Hawaii Over 27.5 (-110 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐

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Warriors QB Brayden Schager looked like a totally different quarterback in Week 0 against the Commodores. He was 27-for-35 for 351 yards and three touchdowns. He did throw two costly interceptions, but when a QB starts off with a career-high in passing yards and ties a career-high in passing TDs against an SEC school, it’s easy to see why there's hope for this offense.

With a game under their belt, the Warriors get to play host to a Cardinal team that couldn’t stop anyone last season. They allowed 40 or more points in five games, and gave up four or more touchdowns in all but four contests.

Even with the Cardinal’s poor defensive performance a year ago, don't back the Rainbow Warriors against the spread. Though they lost by only 7 in Week 0, they trailed by 21 in the fourth quarter. And while the Over is worth a look, there's just a lot unknown about Stanford's offense this season.

The best play for our college football Week 1 predictions is for the Warriors to score 28 or more points. They should get it done against a defense that was bad a year ago and definitely has some growing pains this season.

Hawaii to win also features in Mike Spector's college football upset picks for Week 1.

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Stanford vs. Hawaii best odds

Three of our five best sports betting apps currently offer a Hawaii total points line. Each has the number listed at 27.5. However, the price for the Over is different at each of the three books, and bet365 offers -105 odds, much better than DraftKings and FanDuel.

With most bettors backing the Under in this game, wait to see what BetMGM and Caesars produce. It’s unlikely that the number at all five sportsbooks rises to 28, and there's a chance one of those two books could put out 27 or 27.5 for a better price than currently available.

Stanford vs. Hawaii odds

The Cardinal opened as 7-point favorites, but the line dropped to 3.5 after the Warriors fell by seven to the Commodores. Such a tight opening line already indicated oddsmakers didn’t have much faith in the Cardinal starting this season, so it’s not surprising to see such a big drop. However, 62% of bettors back Stanford, even if the spread keeps moving in favor of Hawaii.

As for the total, the number opened at 59.5 and remained between that and 58.5 across major sportsbooks throughout the week. 57% of wagers are on the Under, but only a few of the books are moving the number to reflect this action.