The University of Hawaii football team will stay home this bowl season, but they still get to play a game. The Warriors will face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish tonight in Honolulu at Aloha Stadium in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl. This Christmas Eve clash kicks off at 8:00pm ET on ESPN.
2008 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl betting odds at Sportsbook.com have Notre Dame listed as a -2 favorite.
Notre Dame started the 2008 season by winning four of their first five games, but they were unable to sustain their early momentum. The Irish closed out the regular season by losing four of their last five contests, including a 38-3 pounding by USC in their finale on November 29th. Charlie Weis' club, however, did finish at 6-6, a three game improvement over last season's 3-9 mark.
The Fighting Irish averaged 22.7 points per game this year while allowing 22.3 points per game. Notre Dame was plagued by turnovers this season, particularly on the road, where they finished -12 in turnover margin. Quarterback Jimmy Clausen was a big contributor to the ball security issues as he threw 17 picks in his 12 starts.
Hawaii's season has almost been a polar opposite of Notre Dame's. The Warriors stumbled out of the gates under new Head Coach Greg McMackin, losing three of their first five games, but concluded the regular season by winning four of their last six to finish at 7-6. Hawaii earned a second place finish in the WAC standings as a result of their strong wrap up to the season.
Junior quarterback Greg Alexander put together a solid campaign for the Warriors, despite having a shaky start to the year. Alexander threw 12 touchdowns in eight starts (four interceptions) and accumulated a 145.56 passer rating. Hawaii averaged 24.9 points per game this season and allowed 27.3 in return.
2008 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl Betting Trend: Hawaii is 7-3 straight up in their last 10 games as a favorite with a spread between 0 to 3.5.
Sportsbook.com's Hawaii vs Notre Dame 2008 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl betting odds:
Hawaii Warriors +2 (-110), Over 48 (-110), +110 (Money line)
Notre Dame Fighting Irish -2 (-110), Under 48 (-110), -130 (Money line)
Matt Foust has completely dominated the bookies this season in College Football hitting a documented 56% of all his NCAA Football releases, growing his clients bankrolls +855 units. Foust has been known to move the betting lines after releasing his major College Football plays and Point-Spreads.com suggests College Football bettors purchase Matt Foust's College Bowl Predictions Package for the most value during the Bowl season.
