Annual UH Football Predictions
And so it begins. Thursday Night Football kicks off the 2013 Hawaii gridiron season this week. A national television audience will tune in Aug. 29 at 5 p.m. local time to see if Norm Chow’s Rainbow Warriors can show improvement over their disappointing campaign of a season ago. It was so bad last year, it was frankly difficult to watch. With a new quarterback and some solid returnees, hope springs eternal that things will be different this fall.
For the past several years, Wayne Coito of Hawaii Sports Fans (hisportsfans.com) and I have made our predictions. Until the last couple of seasons, we were very close to picking the team’s final overall record. An extremely tough schedule at the beginning of this season makes this very difficult, so Hawaii fans and prognosticators, hang in there!
Aug. 29 – home vs. USC. Trojans are loaded and coming off their own very disappointing season. Not fun facing a Top 25 team that is angry and hungry. Wayne says USC wins 34-17. I pick the Trojans in a lopsided score 59-17.
Sept. 7 – at Oregon State. Back-to-back Pac 12 opponents is a daunting challenge. Wayne picks OSU 35-10. I’ve got the Beavers winning big 42-13.
Sept. 21 – at Nevada. The daunting September schedule continues. Wayne tabs Nevada 35-20. I’ve got the Wolf Pack 42-20. Sept. 28 – home vs. Fresno State. Both of us see this game as a chance for the Rainbow Warriors to start showing improvement. Wayne picks Fresno winning 33-21. I see a close game, with the Bulldogs winning 28-24.
Oct. 5 – home vs. San Jose State. The turnaround begins. Yes, the Spartans are better than they’ve been in the past, but both of us are picking Hawaii. Wayne says UH 35-24. I’ve got the Rainbow Warriors winning 28-27.
Oct. 12 – at UNLV. Las Vegas is like a home game for UH. Wayne picks Hawaii 42-21. I’ve got UH winning, too, 35-31.
Oct. 26 – home vs. Colorado State. Both of us see a third straight win for the good guys in the Homecoming. Wayne says Hawaii 38-17. I’ve got UH winning 35-31.
Nov. 2 – on the road at Utah State. The Aggies are much improved, and that spells trouble for UH. Wayne picks Utah State 27-13. I’ve got the Aggies winning 42-31.
Nov. 9 – at Navy. This is an extremely difficult road trip. Wayne picks Navy 28-20. I’ve got the Midshipmen winning 38-20.
Nov. 16 – home vs. San Diego State. Here’s where Wayne and I differ. He’s got Hawaii turning things around to win 38-35. I’ve got the Aztecs winning 35-28.
Nov. 23 – at Wyoming. Laramie in November isn’t a good place to be, but Wayne is hopeful, and picks UH 24-21. I’ve got the Cowboys 42-20.
Nov. 30 – home vs. Army. We both see this as a chance for Hawaii to finish in positive fashion. Wayne picks UH 33-21. I’ve got Hawaii winning a thriller 42-35.
Bottom line – Wayne is a little more hopeful than I am. He’s got Hawaii going 6-6 while I’m showing improvement over last year, but finishing at 4-8.
It all starts Thursday at Aloha Stadium. Enjoy the season!
