2008 Hawaii Warriors Football Gambling Preview

[Shame About Ray]

NCAA Football Betting Overview – Hawaii Warriors

The Hawaii Warriors had a magical season for the football betting community last year, walking the tight and narrow through a flimsy schedule and posting a perfect regular season. Then they got pimp slapped by sports betting favored Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.



That may have been where the wave hit its high point and rolled back. Star quarterback Colt Brennan is gone. So are the top four wide receivers. And so is Head Coach June Jones.

The Warriors have an uphill climb this year and will be far from perfect this go around.

Offense

As mentioned, Brennan and the top four receivers are gone. So is Coach Jones, who implemented Hawaii’s “pass 1000 times per game” offense.

This is clearly a rebuilding year.

The quarterback position is up for grabs between senior Tyler Graunke and junior Inoki Funaki. Graunke might be better option but some off-field troubles led to a spring suspension.

Whoever the quarterback is, he’ll have to get used to being under center. The last offense was virtually all shotgun snaps.

The whole offensive strategy is changing, which is going to take at least a year to get used to. The new staff wants to have some semblance of a running game, which Hawaii is not known for.

The good news is that the offensive line returns three starters, which means there’s a chance that this offense can be somewhat decent by the second half of the season if it progresses.

Defense

Hard to believe, but the defense is going to have to carry Hawaii this season if they have any bowl plans.

Five starters return highlighted by senior linebackers, Adam Leonard and Solomon Eliminian, who combined for nearly 250 tackles last year.

But outside of those two studs and defensive end David Veikune, who provided seven sacks last year, the defense is rather raw. The other two defensive linemen are new starters.

The front seven is good but the secondary is a bit suspect.

The Warriors defense ranked second in the WAC last year and will likely be up there again but it’s not good enough to carry this team to wins on its own.

Outlook

So the Warriors have changed coaches, quarterbacks, strengths and philosophies. Translation: they are rebuilding.

The Warriors are clearly heading in another direction so be prepared for a losing season if you are a Warriors fan.

Also, the Warriors schedule is significantly tougher this year than it was last year. Last season they were derided for playing creampuffs; no one will say that about their schedule this year.

They have road trips against the Florida Gators and Oregon State Beavers, and a home contest against the Cincinnati Bearcats. They also have to travel to Boise State and Fresno State, the two WAC favorites.

BetUS sportsbook already has tons of college football Futures betting available for those of us who can't wait. Bet on the Heisman winner, Conference and Divisional winners and, of course, the 2009 BCS National Championship winner.

They do have a few good recruites this year. Especially Alexander. Will they start him, i'm not sure. They may just play Graunke or Inoke. In my opinion, I'm confident that defense will do well, just not sure about offense.