Stanford and Hawai’i will face off in the opening game of their 2025 college football seasons on Saturday night. Stanford is projected to be one of the worst power conference teams in college football this year. But they are looking for more than just some nice weather on their trip to Honolulu to start the season. Will Stanford get a much-needed road win to open 2025? Continue reading to get my Stanford vs Hawaii prediction for Week 0.
Our Stanford vs Hawai’i Pick
- Pick: Stanford +2.5
- Confidence: 3/5
- Week 0 Bonus Bets: Use BetMGM promo code ATSBONUS to bet on Week 0 and get up to $1,500 in bonus bets if your first bet doesn’t win!
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Stanford vs Hawai’i
- Date & Time: Saturday, August 23, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. ET
- Venue: Clarence T. C. Ching Athletics Complex, Honolulu, HI
- Broadcast: CBS
Stanford vs Hawaii Odds
| Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Hawai’i –2.5 | Stanford +110 / Hawai’i –130 | 51.5 |
Key Storylines
Season Outlook
Stanford enters the season under the new leadership of Frank Reich. The Cardinal enter this season aiming to reverse the four-year 3-9 trend that ended with the firing of Troy Taylor after the 2024 season. Reich has NFL credentials and his pedigree coaching successful offenses will bring the expectation that Stanford score more points in 2025.
Hawai’i enters this season with cautious optimism. Redshirt freshman QB Micah Alejado impressed late in 2024 and the defense under coordinator Dennis Thurman looks poised to improve. But offensive line concerns and a suspect rushing attack could make it hard for the Rainbow Warriors to get traction in their season opener.
Quarterback Play
Stanford’s quarterback is Oregon State transfer Ben Gulbranson. He had a 61.8% completion rate, 2,648 yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions last season. We could see even more from him this year working with a coach that has experience both playing and coaching in the NFL.
Hawai’i leans on Micah Alejado at quarterback. He brought late-season spark last year and could ignite the Bows’ offense this year. The big question for Alejado and the rest of the Hawai’i offense in this game will be whether their o-line can stand up to a power conference defensive front in the trenches.
Betting Trends & H2H
- Stanford went 4-7-1 against the spread last season.
- Hawai’i went 7-5 against the spread in 2024.
- Stanford went 5-7 in the over/under market last season. They stayed under the total in the majority of their games.
- Hawai’i was also 5-7 on their totals a season ago.
Stanford vs Hawai’i Model Projection
Score Projection: Stanford 27 – Hawai’i 24
Win Probability: Stanford 50%, Hawai’i 50%
Final Thoughts
I think we are going to get a very close game between Hawai’i and Stanford. That may reflect poorly on Stanford in the eyes of some. But this is not an easy road game to me, especially when your team has made so many important changes before the season. I will take the points with Stanford here as they should be able to win at the point of attack, but nothing would surprise me in this Week 0 game.
