California Golden Bears vs Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 12/24/2025

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Wednesday, December 24, 2025

Venue:  Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex, Honolulu, HI 

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  California +1.5, Hawaii -1.5; Over/Under:  52.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  California +1.5, Hawaii -1.5; Over/Under:  53 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  California +1.5, Hawaii -1.5; Over/Under:  52.5 points

California Golden Bears:  7-5 (4-4) (7th place, ACC)

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors:  8-4 (5-3) (6th place, MWC)

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California Golden Bears:  won their last game at home against the SMU Mustangs 38-35.

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors:  won their last game at home against the Wyoming Cowboys 27-7.

California is entering this game with a 7-5 record overall and they have a 4-4 record in their conference games too. They are 4-2 in their home games, 3-3 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, and they will be at a neutral site for this game. They won their last game against SMU 38-35. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele was the starting QB and he completed 31/40 passes for 330 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Kendrick Raphael led the team in rushing yards with 111 and 1 TD. Jacob De Jesus led the receivers with 97 receiving yards on 12 receptions and 1 TD. Aiden Manutai led the defense in that game with 6 solo tackles and 2 assisted tackles while Chris Victor led the defense in sacks with 2. Aiden Manutai came away with the only interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

Hawaii is entering this game with an 8-4 record overall and they have a 5-3 record in their conference games too. They are 6-1 in their home games, 2-3 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at a neutral site for this game. They won their last game against Wyoming 27-7. Micah Alejado was the starting QB and he completed 17/24 passes for 289 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Cam Barfield led the team in rushing yards with 77 and 1 TD. Jackson Harris led the receivers with 153 receiving yards on 4 receptions and 1 TD. Peter Manuma led the defense in that game with 5 solo tackles and 6 assisted tackles while Jalen Smith and Noah Wily each led the defense in sacks with 1. Jaheim Wilson-Jones came away with the only interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have Hawaii listed as a 1.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Hawaii has looked good in their games this season with their 8-4 record overall and their 5-3 conference record which had them in the top half of the MWC. They haven't played in any neutral site games this year, but they are playing in the Hawaii Bowl so this is pretty much a home game for them. Meanwhile, California has looked good in their games this season with their 7-5 record overall, but their 4-4 conference record had them right in the middle of the ACC. They were really up and down all season and they ended the regular season with a big upset win at home over SMU which kept SMU out of the ACC Championship. They brought their best effort to ruin SMU's season in their final game, but they also fired their head coach the week before and they aren't in a great situation with this game also being a road game for them. Hawaii had a great season with 8 wins and Timmy Chang has quietly been building up this program over the last few years. They looked great down the final stretch of the year and even ended the regular season with a big win over Wyoming. Now they get to play in a home bowl game which is definitely a rarer occurance so look for them to bring their best effort to finish the season with a bowl win at home. The best way to place a bet here is on Hawaii to cover the spread in this game. 

California Hawaii Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Wednesday, December 24, 2025 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Hawaii 24 California 21.

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California Golden Bears: 2-7 ATS off a win against a conference rival. 1-4 ATS off an upset win as an underdog. 3-6 ATS versus poor rushing teams - averaging 120 rushing yards/game or less. 9-2 UNDER in non-conference games. 4-1 UNDER off an upset win as an underdog.

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors: 14-5 ATS in home lined games. 3-0 ATS as a home favorite of 7 points or less. 7-4 1H ATS when playing against a team with a winning record. 7-2 UNDER as a home favorite. 11-3 UNDER in non-conference games.

California Golden Bears:  H. Masses (CB) Probable - Undisclosed. S. Bjerke (OG) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Parker (RB) Questionable - Undisclosed. I. Crosby (CB) Questionable - Undisclosed. M. Mini (TE) Questionable - Undisclosed. M. Hamper (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. S. Tounkara (LB) Questionable - Undisclosed. B. Marshall (TE) Questionable - Undisclosed. R. McCulloch (LB) Questionable - Undisclosed. L. Robinson (OG) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. King (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. N. Burrell (DL) Questionable - Undisclosed. M. Bryant (CB) Questionable - Undisclosed. L. Johnson Jr. (RB) Questionable - Undisclosed. L. Morris (TE) Questionable - Undisclosed.

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors:  J. Tavui (OG) Questionable - Undisclosed. T. Tadio (LB) Questionable - Undisclosed. O. Salave'a (TE) Questionable - Undisclosed. K. Moore (CB) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Kernaghan (OG) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Sferra (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. H. Dela Cruz (DL) Questionable - Undisclosed. V. Edwards II (CB) Questionable - Ankle. J. Otis (LB) Out - Knee. N. Cenacle (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. A. Cavaco-Amoy (LB) Out - Undisclosed. J. Fetu (CB) Out - Undisclosed. J. Heimuli (WR) Out - Undisclosed.

"That was one of the best locker room scenarios I've been in because of the emotion of this week and the emotion of the game. It could have gone either way. I think it was really gratifying for them, not only because of the week we had but because it's been a hard season." - Nick Rolovich after his team’s win against SMU in their regular season finale. 

"There's nothing more fitting than Hawai'i in the SHERATON HAWAI'I BOWL. I've been fortunate to play in the game during my playing career and it truly is one of the best bowl games in the country. It's the only game on Christmas Eve and everyone is watching which will showcase not only our program but our university and the state of Hawai'i. I can't wait for our players to experience the game and the bowl week activities and what better opponent than the Cal Bears." - Timmy Chang on his team playing in the Hawai’i Bowl. 

WR King, Jordan

WR Grizzell, Trond

WR De Jesus, Jacob

TE Mini, Mason

QB Sagapolutele, Jaron-Keawe

RB Raphael, Kendrick

WR Harris, Jackson

WR White, Brandon

WR Ashlock, Pofele

WR Cenacle, Nick

TE Tauaefa, Devon

QB Alejado, Micah

RB Sims, Landon

Passing: Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (3,117)

Rushing: Kendrick Raphael (853)

Receiving: Jacob De Jesus (892)

Touchdowns: Kendrick Raphael (13)

Passing: Micah Alejado (2,832)

Rushing: Landon Sims (523)

Receiving: Jackson Harris (963)

Touchdowns: Jackson Harris (12)

Coaches:

California Golden Bears: Nick Rolovich (Interim)

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors: Timmy Chang (4th season)