Vanderbilt vs. Hawaii Prediction, Pick, Odds: Can Hawaii Hang With Vandy This Year?
Hawaii will travel to Nashville, Tennessee to avenge its 63-10 home loss from a year ago against the Vanderbilt Commodores. Should we expect another blowout? Or will the contest be tighter in 2023? NCAAF handicapper Matt MacKay is here with his prediction and pick.
Matt MacKay - August 21, 2023, 10:29 AM EDT
5 minVanderbilt vs. Hawaii Prediction, Pick, Odds: Can Hawaii Hang With Vandy This Year?
We get another Week 0 matchup between the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors vs. Vanderbilt Commodores to kick off the 2023 FBS season. This time, the Commodores will be hosting the Rainbow Warriors, where they hope to replicate their dominant 63-10 win from a year ago on the road in Hawaii.
Vanderbilt quarterback Mike Wright is gone, replaced by sophomore AJ Swann, who went 3-of-7 on clean-up duty. On the other sideline for Hawaii, junior quarterback Brayden Schager returns to face a Commodores defense that ranked 125th out of 131 FBS defenses in 2022. Despite this mismatch, Schager produced an underwhelming output in Week 0 a year ago in this game, failing to account for any touchdowns while completing just 51 percent of his pass attempts against what proved to be a vulnerable Vanderbilt secondary.
Will we see Hawaii lose another early lead in blowout fashion? Or will the Rainbow Warriors be more prepared for Vanderbilt after surrendering six total touchdowns in the second half a year ago? Here are our picks, predictions, and odds for Saturday's game between Hawaii Rainbow Warriors vs. Vanderbilt Commodores.
Vanderbilt vs. Hawaii Start Time, Where To Watch, And Odds
- Date: Saturday, August 26, 2023
- Game Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- Where to Watch: SEC Network
Vanderbilt vs. Hawaii Odds
- Spread: Hawaii +17 (-110), Vanderbilt -17(-110)
- Total Odds: Under 55.5 (-110), Over 55.5 (-110)
- Moneyline Odds: Hawaii (+590), Vanderbilt (-900)
Vanderbilt vs. Hawaii Injury Report
Hawaii
Questionable: RB Nasjzae Bryant-Lelei (Knee)
Out: N/A
Vanderbilt
Questionable: TE Josh Palmer (Back)
Out: TE Cole Spence (Knee)
Vanderbilt vs. Hawaii Prediction
Neither of these opponents won more than five games in 2022, so let's keep our expectations realistic when betting on this matchup.
Vanderbilt has the clear edge in terms of in-season competition, competing in the SEC versus the Mountain West. Hawaii lost three straight to open 2022, starting with its 63-10 loss at home to Vanderbilt. Eventually, the Rainbow Warriors figured out how to score more points on offense, recording five games of 24-plus points after logging their first outright win of the season last year against Duquesne, which would continue against porous defenses like Nevada, UNLV, and Utah State.
Vanderbilt stood no chance against some of its SEC opponents, including a 55-3 loss to Alabama that sent the Commodores into a five-game tailspin after a 3-1 start last season. Under head coach Clark Lea for the third consecutive year, the Commodores will look to finish the regular season above .500 for the first time, which would be a marginal improvement from a 2-10 season in 2021 to its 5-7 season in 2022.
Hawaii beefed up its wide receiving corps with transfer wideout Steven McBride arriving from Kansas, so expect to see McBride targeted early and often on Saturday night against the Commodores' defense that ranked 125th in points allowed per game (36) in 2022. Yes, Hawaii deserves to be an underdog, but getting 17 points feels like too much. This is likely due to their poor start in 2022, where the Rainbow Warriors were outscored by at least 32 points during each of its first three games played.
This margin of defeat only happened twice after the first three weeks were played, so I'm placing my confidence in Hawaii to make some tweaks to its defense and offense under former player and second-year head coach Tommy Chang in 2023. Let's bet on Hawaii to cover the spread as +17-point underdogs ahead of its eastern trip to Nashville, Tennessee.
Vanderbilt vs. Hawaii Pick
- Hawaii +17 (-110) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds for this pick
College Football Odds
