The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors will be shooting for another winning year and second straight bowl appearance when they kick off the season at Aloha Stadium on Saturday against Pac-12 foe Arizona. The Wildcats just missed qualifying for a bowl last season when they closed with consecutive losses, while the Warriors placed runner-up behind Fresno State in the West Division of the Mountain West Conference. The season opener is scheduled to begin at 10:30 p.m. ET. Hawaii finished the regular season 8-5 in 2018 before losing to Louisiana Tech 31-14 in the Hawaii Bowl. The Wildcats are 10.5-point favorites in the latest Arizona vs. Hawaii odds, while the over-under for total points scored is 71.5. Before making any Arizona vs. Hawaii picks of your own, you need to check out the college football predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times, and those who have followed it have seen massive returns. Over the past four years, this proprietary computer model has generated a jaw-dropping $4,530 profit for $100 bettors on its top-rated spread picks.
The model also finished the 2018-19 college football season on a blistering 49-28 run on all top-rated picks. Anybody who has been following it is way up.
Now the model has dialed in on Arizona vs. Hawaii. We can tell you it's leaning over, and it also has an extremely strong against the spread pick that cashes in well over 60 percent of simulations. That one is only available at SportsLine.
The model has considered that Arizona is accustomed to success and will be out to build on an already impressive resume which features a 613-465-33 all-time record, 21 bowl games and six conference championships. Leading the Wildcats' explosive rushing attack is redshirt junior J.J. Taylor (5-6, 185 pounds), a 2018 Associated Press All-American third teamer and 2018 All-Pac-12 first teamer. He is 10th in school history with 2,542 rushing yards. He rushed 255 times for 1,434 yards (5.6 average) and six TDs in 2018. He also caught 16 passes for 133 yards (8.3 average). He joins quarterback Khalil Tate, who rushed for over 1,400 yards in 2017 before multiple injuries limited his running last season, to form one of the most dynamic backfields in the nation.
Also returning is the Wildcats' second-leading rusher in junior running back Gary Brightwell (6-1, 210). He carried 91 times for 525 yards (5.8 average) and three touchdowns last season. He played in 11 of 12 games and posted 100-yard rushing games against Oregon State (113 yards) and at UCLA (121 yards).
But just because the Wildcats have some elite runners does not guarantee they will cover the Arizona vs. Hawaii spread on Saturday.
Since 1989, Hawaii has qualified for 12 bowl games, going 6-6. The Rainbow Warriors have a 555-458-25 all-time record and have won four conference championships. Nick Rolovich is in his fourth season as Hawaii coach, going 18-22 overall with two bowl appearances. The potent Warriors return two of their top wide receivers in seniors Cedric Byrd II (5-9, 175 pounds) and JoJo Ward (5-9, 175). Byrd caught 79 passes for 970 yards and nine touchdowns, while Ward caught 51 for 865 yards and nine TDs.
Also returning is redshirt junior running back Fred Holly III (6-0, 200). He led the Rainbow Warriors in rushing last season, carrying 108 times for 468 yards with four touchdowns and a 4.3 yards-per-carry average. He rushed for a career-high 100 yards and two touchdowns against Rice, and also had eight receptions for 77 yards on the season.
So who wins Hawaii vs. Arizona? And which side of the spread can you bank on in well over 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Hawaii vs. Arizona spread to jump on Saturday, all from the advanced model that is up more than $4,500 on its top-rated FBS picks, and find out.
