The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors are going to the Hawaii Bowl for the third time since 2016 and after losing last year in the same bowl game, they are extra motivated to win it this time around. The BYU Cougars, meanwhile, are eyeing to win their second bowl game for the second year in a row. Going into Aloha Stadium, the sportsbook favors BYU by juts 2-points.
Betting on the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (9-5 Overall / 5-3 Conference)
The Rainbow Warriors failed to win the Mountain West title after losing to the Boise State Broncos in the conference championship game, 31-10, but their spirits are still high entering the SOFI Hawaii Bowl game. The Rainbow Warriors can be an entertaining offensive team to watch, as they are averaging 33.5 points per game and are 10th in the nation with 473.6 total yards per contest. They rely so much on their passing attack that is racking up 327.9 passing yards per game. Cole McDonald is at the helm of this air attack. He has 3,642 passing yards and 29 touchdowns against 14 interceptions on the season. The Rainbow Warriors can also make a surprising decision and start Chevan Cordeiro over McDonald. Cordeiro has 907 passing yards and eight touchdowns with three picks thrown this year.
The Rainbow Warriors are 3-1 against the spread (ATS) in their last four games. The under is also 3-1 in those contests.
Betting on the BYU Cougars (7-5 Overall)
The Cougars failed to end the regular season on a positive note, as they saw their five-game winning streak end in a 13-3 road loss to the San Diego State Aztecs on Nov. 30. The good news is that they are still going bowling. The Cougars also boast of a high-octane offense that can be lethal despite their performance in the loss to San Diego State. They are 32nd nationally with 439.0 total yards per game and own a passing defense that averaging 289.3 yards per contest. BYU’s rushing attack may have a bigger role in the game against Hawaii, though, as the Rainbow Warriors have a punching bag defense against the run, Hawaii is allowing 205.4 rushing yards per game, 103rd in the FBS. On defense, the Cougars secondary pose a huge threat to Hawaii’s passing offense, as BYU is tied for ninth in the nation with 15 interceptions this season.
The over is 4-3 in the Cougars’ last seven games overall.
