Hawai'i jumps 39 spots in SP+ — can it keep rising?
- Coverage leans bullish — but with real dissent
- Win total 7.5 — line flat since open
- Hawai'i leaped 39 spots in SP+ — the 9-4 record and June Jones-era identity raise the q…
How past storylines turned out
Hawai'i's offensive coordinator change has died down — no clear next chapter yet.
Hawai'i's defensive coordinator change has died down — no clear next chapter yet.
How it developed newest first
Hawai'i: coordinator change reshaping a unit.
why it mattersTimmy Chang enters his fourth season with a 9-4 winning record, but a coordinator change reshaping a unit signals the need for sustained progress in a lower-tier program. ~ our read
Hawai'i: the fanbase's identity shifting.
why it mattersTimmy Chang enters his fourth season with a 9-4 record, navigating a program identity defined by Pacific-island-football tradition and the challenge of sustaining momentum in the Mountain West. ~ our read
Hawai'i enters 2026 rated No. 68 in 2025 SP+ (+1.7), up 39 spots from 2024.
why it mattersHawai'i leaped 39 spots in SP+ — the 9-4 record and June Jones-era identity raise the question of whether this program can sustain its newfound momentum in the Mountain West. ~ our read
Hawai'i enters 2025 rated No. 68 in SP+ (+1.7), up 39 spots from 2024.
why it mattersHawai'i leaped 39 spots in SP+ — Timmy Chang's 4th season opens with a ceiling no MW program has touched since Jones' 2007 run. ~ our read
Watch next
The non-obvious thing to track
Hawai'i's leap from 2024 to 2025 SP+ suggests improved depth and coaching, but the program's overall infrastructure may still lag behind its current rating. Watch whether Hawai'i's early-season performance against FBS opponents aligns with its 2025 SP+ projection of +1.7.
~ our read
Rooms tap to switch
The off-field storyline driving the noise right now. Not analysis — the soap opera, and that's the point.
The 'the projection is underselling us' read — fans betting the season beats the preview number.
The 'the model has seen the tape' counter — efficiency ratings reward what a program has actually done, not hope.
This event was in 223 of 511 board posts (44%) over the last 60 days — a fanbase consumed by it. Fan text shown verbatim, attributed to the community not the individual poster.
Board health this week (27 posts): 19% positive · 62% neutral · 19% negative. Team-level weekly mood — not specific to this event. The boards ≠ the fanbase: a self-selected vocal slice.
The range the bull case vs the counter
“Mountaintop View 8-3-26. Class of 2022 Athletes Eligible, Save College Sports Act, Hawaii Preview, UTEP, Lobos Camp Schedule.”
“Three questions as Hawaii football opens up training camp”