College Football Week 2 will wrap up Saturday in classic fashion. We get a late night game on the island with a midnight eastern kick off as the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors host the Sam Houston Bearcats. Hawaii was at home in Week 0, but for whatever reason, the NCAA schedulers fell asleep at the wheel and had that one kick off at 7:30 p.m. eastern. Not very late night if you ask me. But this time around, the Bearkats and Rainbow Warriors are set for a classic kick off for us bettors to chase our losses. So let’s get into our favorite picks.
Editor’s Note: Although these odds have shifted slightly, everything is still a go!
Head over to Betting News to check out what else I’ve got on the slate for Week 1, and view the latest odds at the best online sportsbooks.
Sam Houston Bearkats vs. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors NCAA Football Insights
Hunter Watson and the Bearkats are still looking for their first win this year
Both of these teams have played two games already this season after each had a Week 0 contest. The Rainbow Warriors started things off with an exciting last second field goal victory at home over Stanford, winning 23-20 on their home turf. They followed up that performance by forgetting how to play football in Tucson last week. The Arizona Wildcats absolutely shutdown their visitors, beating Hawaii 40-6. The Rainbow Warriors kicked two field goals and that was it as far as scoring, while they allowed 344 yards of offense to the Wildcats, but Hawaii is still 1-1.
The same can’t be said about the Bearkats who are 0-2 very early in this football season. Sam Houston opened things up with a 41-24 conference loss against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on the road. After that, in their home opener, they gave up 38 points to New Mexico, losing 38-21. So they’ve lost two games by 17 points each, and are giving up 39.5 per contest. That needs to change if they want to have any success this season.
Matchup Information – Sam Houston Bearkats – September 6
- Venue & Location: Clarence T.C. Ching Athletic Complex (Honolulu, HI)
- Date: Saturday, September 6, 2025
- Kick Off: 11:59 p.m. Eastern
- Broadcast: Spectrum Sports Network
Sam Houston vs. Hawaii Betting Odds
Odds are courtesy of BetOnline, one of our favorite online sportsbooks, as of September 6, 2025 at 9:01 a.m. eastern. Sign up today with Promo Code FREE250 for a 50% deposit bonus up to $250 as well as 100 Free Spins at the online casino.
Spread
- Sam Houston +7 (-110)
- Hawaii -7 (-110)
Moneyline
- Sam Houston +211
- Hawaii -255
Total
- Over 47.5 (-135)
- Under 47.5 (+115)
There is concern around Hawaii QB Micah Alejado who exited Week 1’s matchup against Arizona. He has not been practicing and has been seen wearing a boot on his right foot. According to Head Coach Timmy Chang, Alejado will be a “game-time decision” but I’m leaning towards him not seeing the field.
Luke Weaver will likely be the starting quarterback for the Rainbow Warriors, and he didn’t look good at all when he filled in last week. Weaver was 8/16 passing for just 66 yards and two interceptions against the Wildcats on the road, and it doesn’t give me much hope for the hosts this week. While I won’t be backing the Bearkats to get the job done, I do think they win. But ultimately, I don’t see either scoring much.
Sam Houston vs. Hawaii NCAA Football Picks and Predictions
Micah Alejado will be a “game time decision” on Saturday Night
Sam Houston vs. Hawaii Prediction: Sam Houston Wins Outright, Under 48
Best Bet: Sam Houston/Hawaii Under 48 (-110) Bovada
Typically when I head to the Island late on Saturday Night, I like to either root for points or back the hosts. Neither is happening this week.
I think Sam Houston pulls out a win in this low scoring game. This team has not yet won this year, they are highly motivated, and I think their defense is better than they’ve looked. Against Hawaii, this is the perfect time to regroup.
Maybe I am banking on Alejado not playing, but even if he does see the field, he will be banged up and didn’t do much against Stanford, although they won. The Rainbow Warriors have struggled heavily on third down this season, converting just 3/10 against the Cardinal and 4/14 at Arizona. While the Bearkats haven’t been overly good at stopping their foes when it matters, this Hawaii offense will be the weakest they’ve seen so far. I trust the Bearkats defense, which was top 20 in points allowed last year, to step up to the challenge.
Additionally, Sam Houston heads into a bye week. They’ll leave it all out on the field and have plenty of time to readjust before their next contest. They play Texas in Austin on September 20, so with that pretty much already being a loss on the record, they’ll really want to get one before the bye. Hawaii gets right back into it hosting Portland State next weekend. While that isn’t exactly a “look ahead” spot for the Rainbow Warriors, I do like to lean with teams heading into a bye week if their foes are not.
I trust Phil Longo to have his team focused and ready to pull off this win. Neither should score more than 21 points, keeping us well under this number. It will not be the most exciting late night game on the island.
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