For the second straight year, Hawaii and Stanford are meeting in a Week 0 matchup, and this time the game shifts to California with the Cardinal installed as 5.5-point favorites.
The last time these teams saw each other, Hawaii walked away with a 23-20 win. Stanford gets a chance to flip that result, while the Rainbow Warriors try to launch their 2026 season with another upset-type showing.
Hawaii enters this one off a strong 2025 season, finishing 9-4 and closing it with a bowl win over California. That was its best year since 2019, when the Rainbow Warriors went 10-5 and beat BYU in a bowl game.
A big part of Stanford’s outlook starts with its transfer addition at quarterback, Davis Warren, the former Michigan signal-caller. In 2024, he went 134-of-209 for 1,199 yards, seven touchdowns and nine interceptions.
He then missed all of 2025 after tearing his ACL. If the 24-year-old can take a step forward from those 2024 numbers and stay on the field, he figures to be central to Stanford’s season.
The matchup also brings back one of Hawaii’s most important pieces in Micah Alejado. As a freshman last season, he threw for 3,106 yards, 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions. If he keeps climbing, he could become one of the more entertaining quarterbacks in the sport.
The side is not the play here. The total is.
The lean is to the OVER, with the expectation that Stanford’s offense should be better with Warren in the mix and Micah Ford back as the starting running back. The concern is the other side of the ball, where Stanford was 96th in opponent EPA and 81st in defensive success rate last season.
That sets up a Week 0 game with enough offensive firepower on both sides to make points the better bet.
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Hawaii brings some intrigue of its own after a 9-4 season, even with a roster in transition. The Rainbow Warriors have to replace a large chunk of last years lineup, but they still return enough proven pieces to make this more than a simple tune-up, which is exactly why Stanfords opener feels like the kind of early test that can shape the tone of a whole season. [Read more 🡒]