Week one actually opens on Saturday with what has become known and celebrated as “Week Zero” which is a series of games that serve as an appetizer before action fully kicks off next Thursday. Featured Saturday is the Mountain West Conference opener between the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and the Colorado State Rams. For Hawaii they have been in a continuous uphill battle since their epic and Cinderella run to the Sugar Bowl in the 2007 season under June Jones. For Colorado State they have been stuck in neutral with three consecutive 7-6 seasons. What is worrisome for the Rams is a considerable amount of roster turnover for 2018.
This contest in Week 1 will go down Saturday, August 25, 2018, at 7:30 p.m. ET at CSU Stadium in Fort Collins, Colorado. The game can be seen on CBSSN.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Hawaii +14.5
Colorado State -14.5
Over/Under 57
Odds Analysis
There has not been a lot of movement from the opening line of Colorado State -14. This is indicative of a well-set line that takes into account Hawaii’s poor reputation and the fact that Colorado State is coming off five consecutive bowl seasons.
Matchup to Watch
Under fourth year coach Mike Bobo the Colorado State Rams have developed the reputation of being a strong offensive team. And that stands to make sense as Bobo was a college quarterback for Georgia where he later served as offensive coordinator. But this year Bobo must count on graduate transfer quarterback KJ Carta Samuels while rebuilding his offensive line and receiving corps. Just as precarious is the fact that a defense that ranked 98th in the country last year must now step up its game to ensure the Rams bowl again.
Hawaii was a 3-9 team last year that covered the spread just one solitary time. They enter the 2018 season ranked around 120th out of the 130 division one college football programs. Head coach Nick Rolovich has decided that the program return to its roots and will run the famed Run and Shoot offense that made it so successful a decade ago. New defensive coordinator Corey Batoon arrives from Florida Athletic to try and change the fortunes of a unit that has consistently been among the very worst in the country.
Coaching Angle
Nick Rolovich enters a critical third season at Hawaii where he has a career record of 10-16. As an alum of the school he is well connected to the community and key figures. However, Hawaii is a classic low budget program that lacks the monetary support of major donors. There has even been occasional talk of the program folding. Attendance has been terrible. And now comes the switch to the run and shoot to attempt to re-establish the program’s original identity when it was a winner.
For Mike Bobo of Colorado State much will be revealed in this his fourth season on the job. He has posted three straight 7-6 seasons while underwhelming a fan base that just helped pay for a new state of the art stadium. With a lot of roster turnover heading into this year Bobo’s recruiting prowess, or lack thereof, will be discovered. He now has a roster of four classes picked by him.
Key Stats and Trends
Hawaii has lost seven out of their last eight against the spread on the road with five of their last seven road games going under the total. But Colorado State has dropped their last five home games against the line with five of their last six at home going over the total.
Key Stat
Colorado State owns this head to head series with six consecutive payouts over the Rainbow Warriors and the last four games going over the total. Last year at Hawaii the Rams prevailed 51-21 as the game soared over the total of 66.
Free ATS Pick
Hawaii’s poor defense, road record, and the Rams dominance of this head to head series make Colorado State the best choice.
College Football Odds: Colorado State 49, Hawaii 21
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