Spring practices are already in the books and fall camps will be here before you know it, which means you’ll have an early jump into the 2006 NCAA football season. Knowing the teams now will save you time. in August and Matt Fargo is here to help you understand what to expect this coming year. We go from worst to first in this 2006 college football trailer.
#62 – Hawaii Warriors 5-7 SU; 7-5 ATS
Fargo’s take Coming off three straight Hawaii Bowl appearances, the Warriors fell last season with a 5-7 record, the first year in the post-Timmy Chang era. But the offense didn’t miss a beat as JUCO transfer Cole Brennan came in and took over right where Chang left off, leading Hawaii to 11th in total offense, including second in passing offense, behind only Texas. Tech. It was the defense that led to a losing season and it doesn’t look much better this year. The stopping unit gave up 38 or more points on eight different occasions and, unsurprisingly, six of those were losses as even the potent offense couldn’t get past the opposition. The offense has a chance to get even better with nine returning starters, including the top seven receivers from last year’s team. It all comes down to defense once again and with a schedule featuring 13 games, eight of which are at home, the Warriors have a good chance of making it back to the postseason, the Hawaii Bowl is a likely destination once again.
Returning Starters Offense – 9 This is a fun offense to watch, and usually on Saturday nights, it’s a great way to wind down from a busy day of college football. Hawaii topped 40 points five times last season, but obviously it wasn’t enough as the defense couldn’t control any team, with the exception of a shutout against Idaho. Getting back on offense, as the red gun was no problem for newcomer Brennan, who passed for over 4,300 yards while throwing 35 touchdowns and just 13 interceptions. He’s the WAC preseason player of the year and with good reason, as almost the entire cast of him returns with him. The biggest return, though, is one you might think wouldn’t matter much in this offense. The return of running back Nate Ilaoa, who was awarded medical hardship in the fifth year, is huge, as he can keep defenses honest with his 7.6 ypc. The Warriors ranked 35th in scoring offense last year, so it’s vital to take advantage of their scoring opportunities.
Returning starters on defense – 5 The good news is that the entire defensive line is back for Hawaii, giving it excellent experience that should help the run defense that finished 98th in the country last season. The bad news is that only two other starters are back in the last eight, but really, that might be more of a good news. The Warriors were ranked 102nd in scoring defense and 110th in total defense, so the only way to go is up, even with a very young team. Hawaii will start four sophomores at linebacker, but experts say there is potential to be the force of the defense, led by returning starter Solomon Elimimian, who is the leader in returning tacklers. Senior free safety Leonard Peters received an extra year of eligibility and his presence in the secondary will be big. The Warriors aren’t going to become a great defense overnight, but improvement is needed and likely to happen.
Schedule While most teams play 11 regular-season games, Hawaii almost always plays 12, and while most teams play 12 this year, Hawaii will dress up 13 times. That gives the Warriors an extra shot at that seven-win mark and also gives them an extra home game, though it’s not easy. The non-conference schedule is complicated as always, beginning with the season opener at Alabama and ending with home games against Purdue and Oregon St. The other two non-conference games are at home against UNLV and the East of Illinois. The WAC schedule is very heavy with the first three games against the top three teams in the conference, including tough road trips to Boise St. and Fresno St. After the game against the Bulldogs, Hawaii has five consecutive WAC games that can be win, so if the Warriors can upset those first three, a 6-2 conference record probably means a WAC title shot isn’t out of the question.
You can bet on… There will be a lot of points scored in Hawaii games once again this season as the offense should be better and even though the defense should improve they will allow a lot of points. Eight of the 12 games surpassed last year’s total, though only one total was set under 60 points. After going 27-5 at home from 2001-04, the Warriors fell to a 3-4 record at Aloha Stadium last season, and in order to get back to the postseason, they need to regain that huge home advantage. . Before last season, Hawaii was 13-6 ATS as a losing hometown the previous six years, but fell three of four against the number at that spot in 2005. The Warriors are likely to be home dogs only twice this year, against Purdue and Oregon. St., and at that point we’ll know exactly what this team is playing for.