The Hawai’i Bowl is typically played on Christmas Day or Christmas Eve at the Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. This bowl started being played in 2002 and has no affiliation with the Aloha Bowl, which ran from 1982 to 2000. Despite the lack of affiliation, the Aloha Bowl is looked at as a predecessor to the Hawai’i Bowl as this bowl picked up where the Aloha Bowl left off in the same stadium just one year after it ended.
The Conference USA has had a tie-in to this bowl since 2009 and the Mountain West Conference has had a tie-in since 2012, the year the Hawaii Warriors left the Western Athletic Conference to join it. Since its inception, the Hawai’i Bowl has had a “Hawaii guarantee,” assuring that the Warriors earn an automatic bid into this bowl if they are bowl-eligible. If not, the bid goes to another team in the Mountain West.
Beginning in 2008, eight of the next nine Hawai’i Bowls were decided by 15 points or more, with an average margin of victory of 25.6 points per game. Interestingly, underdogs have often been on the right side of those blowouts, with dogs going 6-2 SU and 7-1 ATS from 2009 to 2016.
Hawaii played in six of the first nine Hawai’i Bowls, but from 2011 to 2016 qualified only once. Those early bowl games gave Hawaii’s two all-time greatest quarterbacks, Timmy Chang and Colt Brennan, the chance to earn Hawai’i Bowl MVP honors. Other former Hawai’i Bowl MVPs include Brandon Marshall, Chris Johnson, Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate.
The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs will take on the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors in this year’s Hawai’i Bowl. For the latest odds, a free pick and handicapping information, visit our Hawai’i Bowl Game Center.
| Year | Bowl | Team | Score | Team | Score | Spread | ATS Sportsbook | SU Sportsbook |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Aloha Bowl | UCLA | 30 | Kansas | 51 | +5 | KANSAS | KANSAS |
| 1996 | Aloha Bowl | Navy | 42 | California | 38 | -1 | NAVY | NAVY |
| 1997 | Aloha Bowl | Washington | 51 | Michigan State | 23 | +5 | WASH | WASH |
| 1998 | Aloha Bowl | Colorado | 51 | Oregon | 43 | -4.5 | COLO | COLO |
| 1999 | Aloha Bowl | Wake Forest | 23 | Arizona State | 3 | -3.5 | WAKE | WAKE |
| 2000 | Aloha Bowl | Boston College | 31 | Arizona State | 17 | -3.5 | BOST.C | BOST.C |
| 2002 | Hawai’i Bowl | Tulane | 36 | Hawaii | 28 | -14.5 | TULANE | TULANE |
| 2003 | Hawai’i Bowl | Houston | 48 | Hawaii | 54 | -11 | HOUSTO | HAWAII |
| 2004 | Hawai’i Bowl | UAB | 40 | Hawaii | 59 | -3 | HAWAII | HAWAII |
| 2005 | Hawai’i Bowl | Nevada | 49 | Central Florida | 48 | +4 | UCF | NEVADA |
| 2006 | Hawai’i Bowl | Arizona State | 24 | Hawaii | 41 | -8.5 | HAWAII | HAWAII |
| 2007 | Hawai’i Bowl | East Carolina | 41 | Boise State | 38 | -11.5 | E.CAR | E.CAR |
| 2008 | Hawai’i Bowl | Notre Dame | 49 | Hawaii | 21 | -2.5 | NOTRD | NOTRD |
| 2009 | Hawai’i Bowl | Southern Methodist | 45 | Nevada | 10 | -11 | SMU | SMU |
| 2010 | Hawai’i Bowl | Tulsa | 62 | Hawaii | 35 | -10.5 | TULSA | TULSA |
| 2011 | Hawai’i Bowl | Nevada | 17 | Southern Miss | 24 | -9 | NEVADA | S.MISS |
| 2012 | Hawai’i Bowl | SMU | 42 | Fresno State | 10 | -13 | SMU | SMU |
| 2013 | Hawai’i Bowl | Oregon State | 38 | Boise State | 23 | +4 | OSU | OSU |
| 2014 | Hawai’i Bowl | Fresno State | 6 | Rice | 30 | Ev | RICE | RICE |
| 2015 | Hawai’i Bowl | San Diego State | 42 | Cincinnati | 7 | -2.5 | San Diego State | San Diego State |
| 2016 | Hawai’i Bowl | Middle Tennessee | 35 | Hawaii | 52 | +7 | Hawaii | Hawaii |
| 2017 | Hawai’i Bowl | Houston | 27 | Fresno State | 33 | -3.5 | Fresno State | Fresno State |
| 2018 | Hawai’i Bowl | Louisiana Tech | 31 | Hawaii | 14 | +1 | Louisiana Tech | Louisiana Tech |
