Hawai'i is being talked about as a legitimate Group of Five playoff team. UTEP is just trying to find out what it has on offense.
Bush’s Picks
HAWUTEP
HAWUTEP
OverUnder
Best BetHawai'i
Hawai'i enters with a returning 3,100-yard passer and a roster that beat two Power Conference teams last year; UTEP is coming off a 2-10 season with a brand-new coaching staff on both sides of the ball. That gap in proven production makes the Rainbow Warriors the clear side to back here, even on the road in a new conference.
Hawai'i
+9-4 in 2025 with wins over Stanford, Cal
+Alejado back after 3,100-yard, 24-TD season
+Added transfer WRs Harris, Griffiths, Brown
−Alejado's ankle injury still being monitored
−Untested as a true road favorite in new league
UTEP
+4th-best 2026 recruiting class in Mountain West
+Walden gets a 3rd season to build continuity
+Portal additions bolster a thin roster
−Coming off a 2-10 season in 2025
−All-new offensive and defensive coordinators
−First-ever season in a tougher Mountain West
Timmy Chang's fifth season at Hawai'i comes with real expectations after a 9-4 finish in 2025 that ended with wins over Stanford and Cal, two ACC programs the Rainbow Warriors had no business beating on paper. ESPN's early playoff model even slotted Hawai'i in as the top Group of Five team in a 12-team field. That's the backdrop for Friday, November 6, when the Rainbow Warriors head to El Paso for one of the more instructive stops on their Mountain West slate.
The engine for all of it is sophomore quarterback Micah Alejado, who threw for over 3,100 yards and 24 touchdowns against just 9 interceptions in 2025 before an ankle injury ended his season against Cal. He's expected to have the offseason to heal up, and Hawai'i didn't sit still around him — transfer additions at receiver in Audric Harris, Tre Griffiths and Carson Brown give Alejado more speed to throw to alongside returners Pofele Ashlock and Tama Uiliata.
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HAW Hawai'i
UTEP UTEP
UTEP is in a different place entirely. Scotty Walden is entering year 3 off a 2-10 season, and the Miners are stepping into the Mountain West for the first time with brand-new coordinators running both sides of the ball. There's real recruiting momentum — UTEP brought in the 4th-best class in the league — but with an offense that's still an open question this deep into the offseason, this is a program looking for signs of life more than a signature win.
