Sacramento State Hornets at Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors

Hawai'i is chasing a Group of Six playoff bid. Sacramento State is just trying to survive its first-ever trip through major college football. Their paths cross for the first time ever to close out the 2026 season.

Bush’s Picks

SACHAW

SACHAW

OverUnder

Best BetHawai'i

Hawai'i enters with real 2026 CFP buzz and a proven quarterback in Micah Alejado, while Sacramento State is still finding its footing in its first-ever FBS season. This is about as clean a talent and experience gap as you'll find in a late-November matchup, and it's hard to make a real case for the upset here.

Sacramento State

• +Nothing to lose in historic first FBS season
• +new OC Eric Kiesau brings real play-calling pedigree
• −Zero FBS-level track record to lean on
• −first-ever look at Hawai'i with no scouting history

Hawai'i

• +Coming off 9-4 season and Hawai'i Bowl win
• +Alejado-Ashlock connection was productive all year
• −Risk of letdown in a low-stakes home finale
• −no history vs. Sac State to lean on either

This one's got a strange shape to it. Sacramento State spent 33 years in the FCS before jumping to the FBS in 2026 as a brand-new Mid-American Conference member, and Saturday, November 28 is the last stop on that maiden voyage — a season finale on the road against a Hawai'i team that's operating on a completely different plane. Micah Alejado, Hawai'i's sophomore QB, threw for over 3,100 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2025 and comes back with real buzz around the program.

Pofele Ashlock (76 catches, 829 yards) and Tama Uiliata give Alejado two proven targets, and that trio is a big reason ESPN has floated Hawai'i as a projected Group of Six representative in the College Football Playoff picture. On the other sideline, first-year head coach Alonzo Carter and new offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau are still building an identity from scratch — this is Sac State's first season ever at this level, and 10 of its 12 opponents are first-time matchups.

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SAC Sacramento State

HAW Hawai'i

That gap in program trajectory is the whole story here. Hawai'i is coming off a 9-4 season capped by a Hawai'i Bowl win, riding real momentum under Timmy Chang, while Sacramento State is still figuring out what its FBS ceiling even looks like.

Sacramento State Hornets

Nov 10?@ Central Michigan—

Nov 3?vs Toledo—

Oct 30?vs Kent State—

Oct 16?vs Ohio—

Oct 9?@ Bowling Green—

Sep 25?vs Massachusetts—

Sep 19?vs North Dakota State—

Sep 12?@ Fresno State—

Sep 5?vs Mississippi Valley State—

Aug 29?@ Eastern Michigan—

Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors

Nov 20?@ Nevada—

Nov 14?vs North Dakota State—

Nov 6?@ UTEP—

Oct 16?vs New Mexico—

Oct 9?@ Arizona State—

Oct 3?vs San José State—

Sep 26?@ Wyoming—

Sep 12?vs New Mexico State—

Sep 5?vs UNLV—

Aug 29?@ Stanford—

There's also a scheduling wrinkle worth knowing: this game only exists because Hawai'i's original home-and-home with UMass got scrapped, and Sac State slotted in as the replacement. That means there's zero history between these two programs — no tape, no rivalry, nothing but the numbers on the roster sheet to go on.

For Hawai'i, it's the last tune-up before the postseason conversation gets serious. For Sacramento State, it's a chance to close out a landmark first season with a signature road result against a team getting national attention. Neither team has anything obvious to hide behind Saturday.

Sacramento State Hornets

(0)

Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report

Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors

(0)

Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report