Hawaii vs. Colorado State Prediction
The 2018 college football season kicks off on Saturday night with four matchups, including a 7:30 p.m. ET tilt between Hawaii and Colorado State. Will the Rams open their season with a blowout victory over the Rainbow Warriors?
Game Snapshot
293 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at 294 Colorado State
7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, August 25, 2018
Sonny Lubrick Field at Colorado State Stadium, Fort Collins, Colorado
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Rams are 15-point home favorites to beat the Rainbow Warriors. The total, meanwhile, sits at 58 points. As of this writing, 75% of the public betting tickets wagered on this matchup are on the Rams.
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
Hawaii redshirt sophomore RB Freddie Holly is listed as the starter for Saturday’s contest against Colorado State. Holly will get the start, and Dayton Furuta will be the backup for the Warriors in their season opener against the Rams. Hawaii lost Diocemy Saint Juste to graduation this summer, and it will be a difficult task, as Saint Juste was the Warriors’ running game. Holly is a former three-star tailback, and he should be inline for a good amount of touches. Expect to see Furuta get a decent amount of run in the game as well.
Colorado State Rams
Colorado State senior RB Izzy Matthews is listed as the No. 1 RB on Colorado State’s depth chart. It’s worth noting that both Marvin Kinsey Jr. and Rashaad Boddie are unlikely to play due to some off-field issues and were working with the scout team this week. Not entirely by default, but Matthews will likely get the bulk of the carries in their season opener against Hawaii with Marcus McElroy as the No. 2. Matthews is coming off a 132-618-8 2017 season and may play an even bigger role this year.
Betting Trends
Hawaii
The Rainbow Warriors are 0-5 against the spread in their last five road games.
Colorado State
The Rams are winless at the betting window in their last six home games.
Prediction
Colorado State lost as much offensive production this offseason as any program in the nation. Mike Bobo will be breaking in a new quarterback and offensive line so I wouldn’t expect fireworks in Game 1. The same can be said for Hawaii, which is transitioning to a run-and-shoot offense with plenty of question marks at quarterback. I expect both teams to suffer early-season growing pains and thus, I like the under tonight.
College Football Prediction: Hawaii/Colorado State under 58