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The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors take on the Northern Illinois Huskies in DeKalb, Illinois, on Saturday, Oct. 24. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on MW+.
Hawaii is favored by -4.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -194. Northern Illinois, meanwhile, enters as a +4.5 underdog and is +160 on the moneyline to pull off the upset. The over/under sits at 47.5 total points.
Here’s my Hawaii vs. Northern Illinois prediction and college football pick for Saturday, October 24.
Hawaii vs Northern Illinois Prediction
- Hawaii vs. Northern Illinois Pick: Under 47.5
My Northern Illinois vs. Hawaii best bet is on both teams to go under the total, with the best odds on FanDuel. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
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Hawaii vs Northern Illinois Odds
| Hawaii Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-4.5 -110 | 47.5 -110o / -110u | -194 |
| Northern Illinois Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+4.5 -110 | 47.5 -110o / -110u | +160 |
- Hawaii vs Northern Illinois point spread: Hawaii -4.5 (-110), Northern Illinois +4.5 (-110)
- Hawaii vs Northern Illinois over/under: 47.5 (-110o / -110u)
- Hawaii vs Northern Illinois moneyline: Hawaii -194, Northern Illinois +160
Hawaii vs Northern Illinois College Football Preview
Hawaii Warriors Betting Preview: Strong Defensive Effort, But No Results
We have talked all season about Hawaii's struggles. After playing very spirited football at home last week against New Mexico — and coming up short once again — I struggle to see exactly how this team draws motivation for the rest of the season.
Hawaii is 1-6 and has to win out to make a bowl game.
The Rainbow Warriors are banged up, with contributors on both sides of the ball either out for this game or out for the season. This 2026 campaign is looking more and more like the first three seasons on the Island — full of losses and disappointment.
Quarterback Micah Alejado hasn't thrown multiple touchdown passes in any game since the opener in Week 0 and has just six passing scores all season.
The offensive line can't protect him effectively, as Alejado has been sacked 20 times this season and pressured or hit countless others.
The ground game is nonexistent. Hawaii is averaging just 77 yards per game and three yards per carry this season.
Situational execution in the red zone and on third down has been subpar, and Hawaii is averaging 15.7 points per game as a result while failing to score 17 points or more on five occasions.
The defense has kept Hawaii in games this season, and the Bows have done well to limit the output of their opponents early in games despite the offense not producing.
Hawaii has allowed more than 14 points in the first half just once, and it has found success forcing its opponents to work methodically.
The unit has benefited from playing some poor offenses over the last month, and the pace of play has also aided the defense.
Hawaii games are playing at a snail's pace with limited big plays. I expect the Bows to prevent explosive plays against NIU this week.
The Warriors play very hard defensively, and I commend the effort we've seen despite this club not winning many games.
Northern Illinois Huskies Betting Preview: Not Proficient at Anything
NIU has also struggled through a tough situation with a new coaching staff, unfamiliar opponents in a new conference and the bizarre travel that goes along with it.
The roster isn't equipped to put a scare into any opponents, and the result has been three-score losses against every FBS opponent this season, along with a loss against an FCS school.
At 0-6, the Huskies have no bowl aspirations to strive for, and key injuries are starting to pile up on both sides of the ball.
This and the season finale appear to be NIU’s best chance to notch a win this season
Quarterback Taron Dickens and running back Telly Johnson are both listed as questionable for this game, which would be a serious blow to the offensive potency of this NIU squad.
The Huskies aren't proficient at much of anything and rank outside the top 100 nationally in Offensive Success Rate, Points Per Scoring Opportunity and standard down Success Rate.
The ground attack, paced by Johnson, is averaging just 101 yards per game and 3.5 yards per rushing attempt.
Dickens has been consistent passing the ball, completing 66% of his throws for 1,193 yards, but there's virtually zero explosiveness to the passing game, and it doesn't stack successful plays together frequently.
NIU has scored just six red-zone touchdowns all season, and only once, against FCS-level Illinois State, did this team score multiple red-zone touchdowns.
The offensive line has played poorly, allowing 23 sacks, and there's not much hope for improved play at this point in the season.
NIU’s defense hasn't found a way to thwart opponent possessions, and the lack of execution has been most notable in stopping the run.
Northern Illinois has given up 753 yards in the past two weeks against Air Force and Wyoming and is now allowing 6.4 yards per play while yielding a 61% conversion rate on third downs.
The secondary has been surprisingly good at preventing pass explosives and should fare well here, but the defense is undersized, slow and out of position… a lot.
Hawaii vs Northern Illinois Pick, Betting Analysis
This line opened with Hawaii listed as a 3.5-point favorite in the contest with the total set at 47.5. I like the under here.
Hawaii has been consistent in its operating tempo this season, running an average of 70 plays per game, but the team ranks 117th nationally in Success Rate.
The Bows can't stack successful plays together with regularity, and downfield passing has been absent all season.
The run-and-shoot offense is predicated on taking deep shots and connecting on pass explosives, but Hawaii is the fourth-worst team in the country at registering those pass explosives.
NIU does a decent job defensively in forcing opponents to go underneath, so I could see that play out here for the Bows, in a dink-and-dunk fashion.
Hawaii doesn’t run the ball very well, but the offense could find success here in this game. The Bows are at least staying true to what they said publicly about attempting to maintain balance, as the team has attempted 22 or more rushing plays in every game this season.
The NIU front has to be gassed after facing Air Force two weeks ago and then lining up against Wyoming at elevation last week. Watch for the Hawaii run game to extend drives and for the Bows to execute better in third-and-short.
Northern Illinois will struggle against the Hawaii defense in this game, especially if Dickens and Johnson can't go. NIU isn't converting situationally, and the pass explosives just aren't there.
Hawaii has been tough defensively against the other G6 opponents it has faced, holding all but Wyoming to 21 points or less.
The big driver here is the success these teams have failed to score in the red zone. Hawaii has converted just 8-of-24 trips into touchdowns, while NIU has converted 6-of-15 trips into the end zone.
Neither of these offenses are going to be efficient while in close, and failed fourth-down attempts will leave long fields the other way. That will help matriculate the under.
Pick: Under 47.5 (FanDuel)
