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(All odds via PointsBet Sportsbook)
UPDATE: Hawaii has withdrawn from the matchup due to being shorthanded as a result of COVID-19 exposure.
Hawaii gets their classic home bowl game, facing long distance travelers Memphis. Hawaii is in the midst of turmoil, with starting QB Chevan Cordeiro on his way out, while Memphis won’t have the services of their best player, Calvin Austin III, who will be preparing for the draft.
In a battle of less than full-strength teams, who comes out on top?
What: Hawaii Bowl
Who: Memphis (6-6, 3-5 AAC) vs. Hawaii (6-7, 3-5 Mountain West, West Division)
Where: Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex in Honolulu, Hawaii
When: December 24th at 8:00 P.M. ET (ESPN)
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Opening line: Memphis -7.5 (O.U 61)
Current line: Memphis -8.5 (O/U 55.5)
Most recent bowl result: Memphis beat FAU, 25-10, in the 2020 Montgomery Bowl. Hawaii beat Houston, 28-14, in the 2020 New Mexico Bowl.
Memphis at a glance: Memphis was expected to do fine in the AAC, having won it in 2019 and finishing third in 2020. They started out appropriately hot, with a marquee win over Mississippi State starting them off 3-0. Things went terribly wrong after that, as they dropped three straight (including a loss to a 3-9 Temple team) and then lost to AAC rivals UCF, East Carolina and Houston with two of those games being blowouts. They finished out their season with a close win against a struggling Tulane team to qualify for a bowl, which doesn’t promote much confidence.
Hawaii at a glance: Hawaii pretty much finished as expected, pulling off a few nice wins on their way to another mediocre record and a Hawaii Bowl berth. They spoiled the season of Fresno State and had a close fight against San Diego State but were pretty much nondescript outside of that. Their worst loss was getting handily beat by a 2-10 UNLV squad, but they did finish their year with two straight wins.
Key to the matchup: Hawaii has some serious issues to contend with, as according to reports the culture and atmosphere around the team is dark, miserable and sad. Their leading rusher and their starting QB are both transferring out and it seems no one on the team particularly wants to play for coach Todd Graham.
Memphis is without their star and one of the best WRs in the country in Calvin Austin III, but freshman QB Seth Henigan has been quite good this year considering the circumstances and while the passing attack will suffer without Austin, they’ve got some weapons left. Hawaii’s pass defense on the other hand, ranks 127/130 FBS schools.
Best Bet: Memphis (-8.5). It’s a big number, and a very long trip to play a home team, but there is just too much stuff going on in that Hawaii program to recommend them. While Memphis is without their best offense weapon, Hawaii will be without TWO of theirs, and Memphis’ strength matches up with Hawaii’s weakness.
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