Hawaii Warriors @ Tulsa Golden Hurricane Sheraton Hawaii Bowl Pick

Hawaii Warriors @ Tulsa Golden Hurricane Sheraton Hawaii Bowl Pick: First of all, let me talk about this “home field advantage” thing with the Hawaii Warriors. They are 6-1 on the season, and this Bowl game is smack dab in the middle of their backyard. Undoubtedly the stadium will be chalked full of more Hawaii fans than Tulsa Golden Hurricanes, and that normal advantage will be there, a little bit. But it’s not everything. This is a Bowl game and because it is much different than a regular season situation where a team flies in late and has to deal with an unfamiliar situation – the advantage takes a hit. Tulsa will have spent almost a week in Hawaii, and they’ll be used to some things by then. I sure hope so, anyway.

With very similar records, and similar finishes (both teams were 8-1 over their last 9 games), I actually think these two teams are very similar in terms of quality.

Tulsa absolutely loves to run the ball and they do that well. In their last 10 games, they’ve out-rushed their opponents 9 times. They’ve only out-passed their opponents half the time. Hawaii is the other way around, they’ve out-passed the competition 9 times in 10 games, and they split in the run game. Both teams score just a hair under 40 points per game, and while the defensive unit is better in Hawaii, I still don’t think much separates one from the other. They both have strengths, and they both do good things on the ground and through the air.

The thing is, I just think 10.5 points gives the value to Tulsa. Hawaii should have trouble with a good Golden Hurricane team, and even if they do end up winning, the battle should be tight enough to keep the difference in single digits.

#24 Hawaii Warriors @ Tulsa Golden Hurricane (+10.5)