The Stanford Cardinal and the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors open their seasons Saturday. Kickoff from the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex in Honolulu is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET (CBS / Paramount+). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NCAA football odds around the Stanford vs. Hawaii odds and make our expert college football picks and predictions for the best bets.
Last season, Stanford finished 16th out of 17 teams in the ACC with a 3-9 overall record (2-6 ACC). The Cardinal will see QB Ben Gulbranson behind center in his first season with the team after transferring from Oregon State, where he was largely a backup. The Cardinal are led by coach Frank Reich, former coach of the Carolina Panthers.
Hawaii finished 5-7 last season, including 3-4 in the Mountain West, tied for fourth place in the conference. The Rainbow Warriors are led by coach Timmy Chang, who is entering his fourth season with the team. The team will also see a new face calling plays this season with QB Micah Alejado under center. Last season, he went 49-of-70 for 585 yards with 6 touchdowns and no interceptions in limited action.
– Rankings: US LBM Coaches Poll, conducted by the American Football Coaches Association and USA TODAY Sports
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Stanford at Hawaii odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:10 a.m. ET.
Moneyline (ML): Stanford +115 (bet $100 to win $115) | Hawaii -140 (bet $140 to win $100)Against the spread (ATS): Stanford +2.5 (-110) | Hawaii -2.5 (-110)Over/Under (O/U): 50.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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Stanford at Hawaii picks and predictionsPrediction
Hawaii 24, Stanford 13
PASS.
While not by a lot, there is better value on Hawaii (-140) to cover the spread.
BET HAWAII -2.5 (-110).
There are still a lot of unanswered questions for the Cardinal, who will see a new quarterback along with a new coach to start the season. They have made a lot of changes to combat last year’s disappointing performance, but should expect a slow start.
Hawaii, while seeing a new quarterback in Alejado, has continued to build under Chang, who has improved the team’s performance each of his first 3 years. The home team holds the edge in this matchup, particularly on defense, where it returns its core unit.
BET UNDER 50.5 (-110).
With both sides showing a lot of new looks, this total is too high to back the Over.
The Cardinal lost 4 of their top receivers and return just 1 catch from the group last season. With a new scheme behind a new QB, going against a solid Rainbow Warriors defense, there will be struggles for the Cardinal.
The same is to be expected of the Rainbow Warriors. Expect a work in progress that will be unable to carry the offensive load it would take to tip the Over.
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