Albany vs Hawaii Odds
| Albany Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+8.5 -115 | 57.5 -115o / -115u | +250 |
| Hawaii Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-8.5 -115 | 57.5 -115o / -115u | -350 |
Who doesn't love late-night college football?
The Albany Great Danes (1-1) will head to the island to take on the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (0-2). Betting on Hawaii's home football games has become somewhat of a college football rite of passage, considering it plays at around midnight ET — well after most games have kicked off.
Albany is a middling team in the Colonial Athletic Association in FCS play, while Hawaii has been one of the more exciting teams in the Mountain West the past few seasons.
It always seems like there's loads of value to be had in games that involve the Rainbow Warriors, so let's dive into Albany vs. Hawaii odds and picks in our NCAAF betting preview for Sept. 9.
Albany Great Danes
Albany is an intriguing FCS program likely to struggle against Hawaii's uptempo offense. Albany won their first game handily against Fordham by 21 points but fell back down to earth against Marshall last week, 21-17.
Albany's offense is led by quarterback Reese Poffenbarger, who looked extraordinary against Fordham, passing for four touchdowns and 253 yards.
He also contributed on the ground with 47 rushing yards in the game, followed by 37 more yards and a touchdown last week.
4th and 1 from midfield. QB keeper.
Reese Poffenbarger to the 🏠❗️@UAlbanyFootball pushes its lead back to 10!
📺 @ESPNPlus#CAAFBpic.twitter.com/l7ApASiHiv
— CAA Football (@CAAFootball) September 3, 2023
The Great Danes have a rotating mix of wide receivers with no clear top receiver, although Roy Alexander had 58 receiving yards and two touchdowns in Week 0. Jackson Parker has looked decent overall and appears to be one of Poffenbarger's favorite targets in the early going.
Despite the loss, Albany's defense held up against Marshall and has surrendered just 34 points across their first two games. This is unlikely to extend into a matchup with a notorious high-octane offensive presence in Oahu awaiting them.
For Albany to come together and potentially knock off an FBS opponent like Hawaii, the defense must continue its streak. If they cannot do this adequately, they will struggle toe-to-toe with Hawaii's offense.
Hawaii Warriors
Hawaii is among the most exciting college football teams to watch annually.
The style of football deployed by head coach Timmy Chang is your typical run-and-gun, but they have shown improvements on both sides of the gridiron, dating back to the end of last season.
The program has experienced immense turnover in recent seasons, but Chang has done an admirable job of staying afloat despite many player personnel departures. Hawaii ended with a 3-10 record last season, but it came close in many of its final games.
Hawaii fell short in its first two games of the season, losing 35-28 to Vanderbilt and 37-24 to Stanford. Vanderbilt is a decent program, and Stanford is a tough matchup for anyone.
If Hawaii can beat up on an FCS opponent like Albany, it might best indicate where it stands as a program.
Hawaii's offense is led by quarterback Brayden Schager, and it appears he has found his two favorite targets: Pofele Ashlock and Steven McBride. Ashlock has particularly been incredible, amassing 15 receptions for 241 yards and three touchdowns. McBride has also caught three touchdowns himself.
Brayden Schager STRIKE to Pofele Ashlock for the 16 yard TD!
Schager tonight: 30-53, 355 yards, 3 TDs
Back to back games with 350+ yards & 3 TDs for Schager to start the season. Also back to back games with 7+ catches, 100+ yards & a TD for Ashlock #Hawaiipic.twitter.com/pMvnBJdIYc
— FOLLOW: @TSV__1 (@TSV__1) September 2, 2023
The backfield will likely remain a non-factor for Hawaii, heavily emphasizing the passing game in a Chang-led program. Against Stanford, the Rainbow Warriors put together negative yardage in the run game (-5 yards), but the passing game kept them in.
Hawaii should have its way with Albany, but the Rainbow Warriors haven't exactly been a team to count on when it comes to winning games they should.
Albany vs Hawaii
Betting Pick & Prediction
The odds and lines for Albany vs. Hawaii are yet to be finalized at top sportsbooks, but according to our projections, Hawaii should be roughly a 17-point favorite. That's a hefty projected line, considering the Rainbow Warriors' lack of a ground game and the Albany defense's pass rush.
This represents a massive test for Hawaii despite it being an FBS-FCS matchup. However, this is not the best time to back them unless the spread differs significantly from our projections.
Hawaii's lone asset is its passing game, and if Albany can limit it, the Great Danes should have no problem covering a spread of that magnitude regardless.
Expect a lower-scoring game than usual for Hawaii, and take the points with the Great Danes.
