Hawai‘i Football Faces Early Measuring Stick in Season Opener at Stanford

The expectations surrounding Hawai‘i football are different entering the 2026 season.

After a nine-win campaign a year ago, the Rainbow Warriors open Saturday at Stanford with an opportunity to immediately show whether they’re ready to take another step under fifth-year head coach Timmy Chang.

During Wednesday’s Wake Up in The Den, Ku‘ulei Agbayani and Paul Brecht discussed why the Week 0 matchup could serve as an early measuring stick for a Hawai‘i team carrying increased expectations.

Stanford enters a new era under first-year head coach Tavita Pritchard, but Brecht cautioned against viewing the Cardinal’s recent struggles as an indication that Saturday should be an easy win.

Stanford is still a Power 4 program playing at home, returns a number of talented players and has its own expectations of turning things around under Pritchard. Hawai‘i, meanwhile, enters the opener with plenty of excitement surrounding a potentially explosive offense, but questions remain about a defense featuring several new faces.

Still, if the Rainbow Warriors are going to become the team many believe they can be this season, Saturday represents the type of game they’ll need to find a way to win.

“I don’t care if it’s by one point, if it’s by 10 points, if it’s by five points, if it’s by 50 points,” Brecht said. “You gotta come out and find a way to win.”

Saturday’s matchup also carries a unique connection between the two head coaches.

Pritchard recalled taking an official visit to Hawai‘i during Chang’s playing career and watching the former UH quarterback lead the Warriors to a win over Michigan State at Aloha Stadium. Pritchard said he has “a ton of respect” for Chang and acknowledged the added significance of two Polynesian head coaches meeting in Stanford’s Pacific Islander Heritage Celebration game.

Chang returned the praise this week, calling Pritchard a “great coach, great player” and “great leader” as both programs look to build toward bigger things.

For Hawai‘i, the opportunity to show how far it has come arrives immediately.

The Rainbow Warriors and Cardinal kick off Saturday at 1 p.m. HST on the ACC Network.

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