It has indeed been a trying year for the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and coach Norm Chow. On Saturday night this team gets a chance to ease the pain a little as it takes on the Cadets of Army in college football betting action that is set to get underway at 11 PM ET (that’s 6 PM Hawaii time) at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu.
Hawaii is 0-11 straight-up, although the ‘Bows are 6-5 against the football pointspread. Army is 3-7 straight-up and 4-6 against the football lines. The Cadets have one more game after this, and naturally it is against Navy.
NCAA football odds Courtesy Of Get That Bet USA Sportsbook
In the NCAA football odds on this game as posted at Get That Bet, Hawaii is the favorite in their season finale:
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors -5
Army Cadets +5.5
Over 62 Points -110
Under 62 Points -110
Norm Chow is one of the most well-respected and well-traveled football coaches anywhere. He has held offensive coordinator jobs at BYU, North Carolina State, USC, UCLA and Utah, as well as the Tennessee Titans of the NFL. and he has worked with some fantastic people along the way, including many quarterbacks who reached the NFL, such as Philip Rivers, Carson Palmer, Ty Detmer, Steve Young and Mat Leinart.
He finally got his chance at a head coaching position when he was hired by the team located in his native Honolulu. To college football bettors, it seemed a great fit, as the team had been associated with some great passing attacks recently under June Jones. But there have been a lot of headaches. Last year brought a 3-9 record, and though some improvement had been hoped for in 2013, especially with Taylor Graham, an Ohio State transfer, coming in as quarterback, it hasn’t played out that way.
Chow had to let his offensive coordinator go right before the season, and wound up, in effect, taking those responsibilities himself. Graham has completed just 46% and has suffered through injuries, and Sean Schroeder has played most of the year at QB, though he wasn’t Chow’s first choice. In only one game has Hawaii yielded fewer than 30 points, and Get That Bet customers have seen them suffer through some tough defeats along the way. They lost to Fresno State, a team that was undefeated and a hopeful “BCS Buster” up until this weekend, by a 42-37 score. They also lost by two points to UNLV and by just a touchdown to Colorado State, which is going to a bowl. And they have lost the last two games in overtime – a 28-21 decision to San Diego State at home, where they blew a halftime lead, and a wild 59-56 loss at Wyoming, which was nip and tuck all the way.
Chow made some comments a few weeks ago that caused some controversy, when he told a reporter, “I’m not sure if I’m cut out for this head coaching thing.” He later said the comment was in jest and that he never wanted to leave. His future may be in some doubt, though his reputation suggests he deserves some time. He’s got a tough matchup here, against an Army squad – priced at +184 to win straight-up at Get That Bet that leads the nation in rushing with almost 331 yards per game. Hawaii’s defense has permitted 4.4 yards per carry by opponents. But this Army team is very one-dimensional, and could be looking ahead to the highlight of their season, which takes place against Navy in two weeks’ time.
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