The Portland State Vikings take on the Hawaii Warriors in Honolulu, Hawaii. Kickoff is set for 11:59 p.m. ET on Mountain West Network.
Hawaii is favored by 38.5 points on the spread, and the total is set at 52.5 points.
Here’s my Portland State vs. Hawaii predictions and college football picks for Saturday, September 14.
Portland State vs Hawaii Prediction
- Portland State vs. Hawaii Pick: Hawaii Team Total Over
My Hawaii vs. Portland State best bet is on the Warriors' team total over. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
Portland State vs Hawaii Odds
| Portland State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+38.5 -110 | 52.5 -110 / -110 | N/A |
| Hawaii Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-38.5 -110 | 52.5 -110 / -110 | N/A |
- Portland State vs Hawaii point spread: Hawaii -38.5
- Portland State vs Hawaii over/under: 52.5 points
Portland State vs Hawaii Preview
Portland State Vikings Betting Preview: Long Day For Defense
Portland State has really been up against it this season, and the schedule makers have done the Vikings no favors. Hosting FCS top-10 Tarleton State in the opener before three roadies at BYU, North Dakota and now Hawaii creates a ton of taxing travel on these players.
Outside of the scheduling, this team is very bad and has very little talent.
This bunch was shut out twice, and we haven’t seen Portland State be able to do much of anything offensively with any consistency.
The offensive line has performed poorly while allowing four sacks and 22 tackles for loss so far this season.
The ground attack is averaging 2.2 yards per carry, as Portland State has run for 185 yards total.
Four different quarterbacks have been used already, and they've combined to throw one touchdown pass.
Portland State has converted just 25% of its third-down attempts and have only managed three red zone trips all year. There's not a lot to draw from here offensively.
Defensively, Portland State has been overmatched while allowing 501 yards per game and 7.6 yards per rush. Opponents are scoring 54 points per game on average against the Vikings this year, and this defense has already faced 20 red zone attempts against it.
This defense doesn’t turn over the opposition, it doesn't secure stops on third down and it provides very little resistance against the pass.
Hawai'i Warriors Betting Preview: Underrated Defensive Unit?
Hawaii secured a much needed win at home last week against Sam Houston. Quarterback Luke Weaver got the start in place of injured Micah Alejado and looked sharp while completing 27-of-43 passes for 294 yards and three touchdowns.
The ground game was better, as Hawaii averaged 3.6 yards per carry. Also, we saw a little more pace out of the ‘Bows offensively.
This should be a spot for Hawaii to have a little fun, and I would expect Timmy Chang to let Weaver throw it around deep into the third quarter in this affair.
Hawaii continues to roll out an underrated Mountain West defense, as once again its opposition struggled to run the ball or convert on third down. Sam Houston was just 2-of-11 on third down and averaged 2.5 yards per rushing attempt.
For the season, Hawaii has limited opponents to just 4.5 yards per play and has been outstanding in the red zone. In fact, just five of 13 opponent trips inside the 20-yard line have resulted in touchdowns.
Portland State vs Hawaii Pick, Betting Analysis
I'm going to play the Hawaii team total over in this game, assuming we get 45 or so.
Hawaii is going to continue to run its stuff, and Portland State isn't going to be able to cover the Hawaii receivers in the first half.
While the score run-up wont be intentional, we'll see explosive runs and late scoring opportunities.
Portland State has allowed 35 points in the fourth quarter of its three games this season, so despite being in massive blowouts, teams are still scoring on it. This defense can't be relied on at any point to secure stops or prevent scoring.
We'll see Chang run the offense and have a little fun for the first time this season.
There won't be intentionality behind fourth-quarter scoring, as Hawaii will likely run the ball late in this game. But at nearly eight yards per carry, it won't take long for Hawaii to find the end zone.
Portland State won't possess the ball a lot, so in the first half, we'll see short fields for Hawaii and quick strikes. This will get out of hand early.
Pick: Hawaii Team Total Over
