A field goal with three seconds to play completed a late comeback in a fantastic Hawaii 23-20 win over Stanford to start last season, and a score in the final moments in the Hawaii Bowl win over Cal ended the campaign.
This year, with a lighter conference schedule in the new Mountain West, and with a loaded team returning, there’s a real shot that Hawaii gets the Group of Six College Football Playoff spot, but it has to start with a win in Palo Alto.
Stanford is starting over under new head coach Tavita Pritchard. His team has to come out roaring, even if it’s Week 0, to get on track for a bowl game with a tough schedule ahead.
- Hawaii has one of the best home-field advantages in all of college football because of the travel – opposing teams tend to realize there’s more to life than football when they get to Honolulu. There are still four more road games after this – the Rainbow Warriors have to steal this one.
- Yes, this is the third time in four years that Stanford started a season against Hawaii, but it’s the first of the three at home. Up next is Miami, and then a trip to face defending ACC Champion Duke.
- The last Hawaii road win over an at-the-time Power Conference program was … 24-21 at Oregon to open the 1992 season.
Date: Saturday, August 29, 2026
Game Time: 7:00 pm ET
TV: ACC Network
Location: Stanford Stadium, Palo Alto, CA
– CFN Week 0 Schedule, Predictions
The Stanford defense has been worked on all offseason, but there’s still a long way to go to be merely average. The Cardinal were dead last in the nation last year in pass defense, giving up 289 yards per game – and Hawaii won even though Micah Alejado only threw for 210 yards in the opener.
The Rainbow Warriors have a solid receiving corps – even if star target Pofele Ashlock is banged up – with a great group of transfers coming in. Stanford is still in rebuild mode with the secondary and pass rush.
– Hawaii 2026 Preview
Tavita Pritchard won’t make the same mistake that former Stanford head coach Frank Reich did.
The Cardinal offense stalled against Hawaii, and then the offense started hammering away with the ground game. Over and over and over, the rushing attack rumbled early in the fourth quarter as the team took the lead.
And then … it stopped.
Stanford ran 43 times, and had it run it 50, it probably would’ve won. It found something that worked, and didn’t stick with it. This year’s Cardinal offensive line should be good right away, and the 1-2 punch of Micah Ford and Sedrick Irvin can handle the work.
– Stanford 2026 Preview
Stanford didn’t do too much through the portal, at least on defense. The offense got a few new parts, but the defensive side is loaded with upperclassmen who have been through the wars. The problem is that the Cardinal lost most of those battles.
Hawaii built up the defensive front, did a fantastic job in the secondary, and crushed it when it came to the receiving corps. Most importantly, it was able to keep Alejado. The Rainbow Warriors have the right overall mix to win a game like this.
Hawaii 26, Stanford 24
Latest Consensus Line: Stanford -4, o/u: 48.5
ATS Confidence (out of 5): 2.5
Must See Rating (out of 5): 3.5
Consensus line based on BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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