Hawaii vs Wyoming Picks and Odds
By Blair Johnson in College Football
Updated: March 3, 2021 at 2:52 pm ESTPublished:
- The 1-0 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors are 1.5-point road favorites over the 0-1 Wyoming Cowboys in a Week 9 matchup slated for a Friday, Oct. 30 kickoff at 9:45 PM EST in Laramie
- Hawaii is coming off a 34-19 win over Fresno State in its season opener that saw sophomore quarterback Chevan Cordeiro pass for 229 yards and run for 116 more with two touchdowns
- Find the odds, a breakdown of the matchup, and a pick for the game in the article below
The 0-1 Wyoming Cowboys host the 1-0 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors in Laramie, Wyoming Friday, Oct. 30 at 9:45 PM EST.
The Warriors opened as 2.5-favorites and have shortened a bit heading into kickoff at Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium.
Hawaii handled Fresno State with relative ease in its season opener during Week 8, winning 34-19. Wyoming is coming off a 37-34 overtime loss to Nevada on the road in its Mountain West lid-lifter.
Hawaii vs Wyoming Week 9 Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Point Spread | Over/Under Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | -122 | -1.5 (-110) | Over 59.5 (-112) |
| Wyoming | +100 | +1.5 (-110) | Under 59.5 (-108) |
Odds taken Oct. 28 at FanDuel
The Warriors looked good in their first game under former Arizona State and Tulsa head coach Todd Graham. They racked up 323 yards on the ground against the Bulldogs and forced four turnovers, beating Fresno State 34-19 on the road.
What a day, and what a way to start the season for QB1. #HawaiiFB #WinEveryDay pic.twitter.com/mah4mX77eE
— Hawaii Football (@HawaiiFootball) October 25, 2020
Wyoming looked good too — at least offensively. Redshirt freshman quarterback Levi Williams threw for 227 yards and a touchdown and ran for a pair of two more scores while running back Xazavian Valladay was a duel-threat for the Cowboys with 87 yards on the ground and 44 yards through the air. But the defense couldn’t stop the Wolf Pack, as Nevada put up 496 yards of offense and 37 points.
👀 The 1st 🤠🏈 TD for @ggench16 #RideForTheBrand pic.twitter.com/TyXfxCCvb0
— Wyoming Cowboy Football (@wyo_football) October 27, 2020
So with the Rainbow Warriors as 1.5-point favorites, is Hawaii a worthy road favorite? Or is Wyoming being undervalued at home?
New Offense, No Problem
New Hawaii offensive coordinator G.J. Kinne, who played quarterback under Graham at Tulsa before playing on three NFL teams practice squads, knows the pressure of working with his boss.
“Overall, it’s everything that I’ve wanted and signed up for, it’s been a lot of fun,” Kinne told reporters earlier this month. “Playing the position at the highest level and then coaching with the Eagles, I feel like I’m very well prepared and you just go out there and work your butt off every day.”
It seems like that atmosphere is paying off, at least in the short term.
1Q- 4:00 | UH 7 FSU 7
Chevan Cordeiro finds paydirt!!!! Fourth rushing TD of his career! #HawaiiFB #WinEveryDay pic.twitter.com/hzlHkd7I7R
— Hawaii Football (@HawaiiFootball) October 25, 2020
Cordeiro tore up the Bulldogs in the Central Valley with his arms and legs. If he can have a similar performance against the Cowboys, Hawaii is the play.
The Great Equalizer
Of course, the climate in Laramie is a bit different than Fresno.
UW DC Jay Sawvel was asked about Hawaii QB Chevan Cordeiro: "I hope he doesn't run as fast in the cold"
— Michael Katz (@MichaelLKatz) October 26, 2020
The temperature at kickoff last Saturday in California was 77 degrees. The forecast high for Friday in Wyoming is 46 degrees. That’s a fairly significant difference.
Also, Hawaii has lost four straight road games against inter-mountain conference opponents at their place — including a 28-21 loss in Laramie in 2017. The last time the ‘Bows were victorious at altitude was in 2016 when they beat Air Force in Colorado Springs 34-27.
Cooler conditions — and elevation — might make for a different look for Hawaii’s versatile offense.
No Quit
No matter what the weather is Friday, as long as the Cowboys exhibit the grit they did against the Wolf Pack, they have a great chance to even their record at 1-1. After starting quarterback Sean Chambers went down with what turned out to be a season-ending leg injury early, Williams took over and played well.
Wyoming was down 28-13 heading into the fourth quarter but stormed back to force overtime.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSwOdzOrKvo
Some of the trends favor the home team here. The Cowboys are 6-1 against the spread in their last seven games after an ATS loss and 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games as a home underdog.
With Williams getting all the first-team reps in practice this week, I expect Wyoming to play just as well offensively — and maybe better than Craig Bohl’s team did in Week 8. Whether or not the defense can stop Hawaii is the question.
And as noted above, recent history and less-than-tropical conditions could be a play a factor in the Rainbow Warriors’ execution. They would appear to be the better overall team after one game between the two, but I’m playing the total in this spot.
With Wyoming’s questionable defense — plus Hawaii’s opportunistic unit (which had three interceptions against Nevada), short fields could be the norm Friday. And we know both offenses can produce.
The Pick: Over 59.5 (-112)
Sports Writer
Blair Johnson is a veteran journalist and seasoned sports content creator. He has been writing and producing content as long as he can remember, with such familiar names as CNN, NFL Media and Yahoo. Blair currently lives and works in the greater Los Angeles area.
