The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors take on the Michigan Wolverines. Check out our college football odds series for our Hawaii Michigan prediction and pick.
This has already been a very, very rough season for Hawaii under new head coach Timmy Chang, who took over for embattled coach Todd Graham in an attempt to restore his alma mater's program. No one expected this would be a smooth and richly prosperous year for Chang, a former Hawaii quarterback who is learning on the job and trying to play the long game with the Rainbow Warriors. That said, even he might be a little surprised at how difficult 2022 has become. Vanderbilt — not a particularly strong program, to say the least — hung 63 on Hawaii. Then, this past weekend, Western Kentucky slapped 49 on UH. Allowing an average of 56 points and, in the meantime, averaging fewer than 15 points is a brutal way to start a season. Losing by an average of 42.5 points per game, and then having to go to Ann Arbor to play the defending Big Ten champions, is no one's idea of fun. Chang needs to find a way to keep his players upbeat, and to emphasize the reality that losing games can be a growth point for the future. Players need to be open to the lessons of each play, each drive, each game. This is not something which will be fixed quickly.
Michigan is not in any kind of trouble — not now — but it has been impossible to avoid noticing that Jim Harbaugh has a complicated quarterback situation on his hands. Juggling time between 2021 Big Ten championship quarterback Cade McNamara and higher-upside alternative J.J. McCarthy has not been easy for Harbaugh. Fans are intensely interested in how this situation will unfold over the course of the season. What complicates this situation even more is that Harbaugh is operating this year without the man who guided McNamara so skillfully last year, Josh Gattis. The former Michigan offensive coordinator is now at Miami with Mario Cristobal. Playing Hawaii gives Harbaugh and his staff a chance to give plenty of reps to both quarterbacks, and to continue to evaluate them before Big Ten play arrives.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Hawaii-Michigan College Football odds.
College Football Odds: Hawaii-Michigan Odds
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors: +51.5 (-104)
Michigan: -51.5 (-118)
Over: 67.5 (-108)
Under: 67.5 (-112)
Why Hawaii Could Cover the Spread
Very simply, 51.5 is a lot of points. That point aside, Michigan could easily get bored during this cupcake game. The Wolverines won last week by 44 points over Colorado State. They know they're not going to be strongly challenged in this game. The other point to make is that if the margin in this game is anywhere close to the actual spread in the final five minutes of regulation, Michigan is less likely to score a touchdown if it is on the wrong side of the spread (45-48 points), and Hawaii is more likely to get a garbage-time touchdown if it is on the wrong side of the spread (55-58 points). If you are going to take Michigan minus the 51.5, you will want to see Michigan lead by 59 or more heading into the final minutes.
Why Michigan Could Cover the Spread
Very simply, if Hawaii could lose to Vanderbilt by 53 at home, it can certainly lose at Michigan by the same amount if not more. We really don't have to explain that point in great detail. Also, the McNamara-McCarthy quarterback controvery means that Michigan will play both quarterbacks and give both men a chance to throw the ball down the field. So, Michigan might still try to score with more than five minutes left in a 48-point game.
Final Hawaii-Michigan Prediction & Pick
Hawaii is getting crushed left and right. Michigan figures to do even more crushing, and probably on a larger scale than Vanderbilt did when it beat Hawaii by 53 points. Take Michigan, despite the enormous spread.
Final Hawaii-Michigan Prediction & Pick: Michigan -51.5
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