The 2024 college football season will begin with the first-ever showdown between the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors of the Mountain West Conference and Delaware State Hornets of the MEAC (FCS).
Who emerges victorious in the first-ever clash between the programs? Ahead of the game, we’ve got the latest college football betting odds, DFS picks, and a Hawaii vs. Delaware State prediction.
Hawaii vs. Delaware State Betting and DFS Preview
- Spread
Hawaii -39.5 - Moneyline
N/A - Over/Under
57.5 points - Game time
11:59 a.m. ET - Location
Clarence T. Ching Athletic Complex, Honolulu - Predicted Weather at Kick
86 degrees, 15-20 MPH winds, mainly cloudy and increasingly windy - How to Watch
Spectrum
The Rainbow Warriors were originally slated to host Oregon in this game before the Ducks’ move to the Big Ten prompted them to alter their non-conference schedule for the 2024 season.
What is Oregon’s loss will instead become Delaware State’s gain as the Hornets are set to become only the fifth HBCU school to play at Hawaii in football, and the first since Grambling State in 1976.
MORE: CFN Betting Parlay Calculator
Hawaii won five games last season, up from the three in its first season under head coach Timmy Chang. The Rainbow Warriors have covered the spread in eight of their 14 home games under Chang (8-5-1). Interestingly, 10 of those same 14 games finished under the total.
Delaware State won just one game last season, its first under head coach Lee Hull. The Hornets played a pair of FBS opponents as part of their 2023 schedule, losing both by a combined score of 95-6. They have one win over an FBS team in their program history, which came back in 1987 against Akron.
Top DFS Picks and Fantasy Plays
- QB Brayden Schager (HAW)
- RB Landon Sims (HAW)
- WR Alex Perry (HAW)
- WR Pofele Ashlock (HAW)
- WR Koali Nishigaya (HAW)
- WR Jonah Panoke (HAW)
The offensive playmakers wearing the black helmets on Saturday look good. Why? Delaware State allowed 7.2 yards per play last season, the second-worst rate among all FCS teams.
However, Hawaii’s Steven McBride was notably absent from the depth chart due to impending legal issues following an arrest in late July. It was reported that McBride had returned to team activities after completing an initial suspension, but his absence from the depth chart was noticeable.
Prediction for Hawaii vs. Delaware State
The Rainbow Warriors are bringing back much of their production from last season on both sides of the ball.
Their quarterback Schager is back after throwing for 3,542 yards and 26 touchdowns. Each of his six leading receivers returned to the roster as well, including Pofele Ashlock, who registered a team-leading 83 catches.
The defense was a concern for Hawaii last season as it allowed 32.2 points per game, ranking 112th in the FBS. That might not be an issue in the season opener considering Delaware State was held below the 20-point mark in eight of its 11 games while playing an FCS schedule.
Even before a “bus snafu” caused Delaware State to miss its flight from New York’s JFK airport, the Hornets needing to travel over 5,000 miles to get to the island was a concern. Though you can expect there to be a rush of adrenaline for all those players, it won’t be enough to cover the spread.
Prediction: Hawaii 52, Delaware State 7
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