Both quarterbacks should feel right at home in Wednesday’s Hawaii Bowl.
Hawaii is hosting California at the Clarence TC Ching Athletics Complex, which is the Rainbow Warriors’ home venue while their new stadium is under construction.
They’re led by Hawaii native Micah Alejado, who recently announced he will return to the Rainbow Warriors next season instead of testing the waters in the transfer portal. Alejado was named Mountain West Freshman of the Year after racking up 2,832 yards and 21 touchdowns through the air in his first season as the Rainbow Warriors’ starter.
Cal is led by quarterback Jaron-Keawa Sagapolutele, who is from Ewa Beach, Hawaii. The freshman was a finalist at the 2024 Elite 11 camp and was rated as a five-star recruit and the No. 4 quarterback in the 2025 class by On3. He was a four-star recruit as the No. 7 QB nationally, according to 247Sports.
Sagapolutele finished his first season as the Golden Bears’ starter with 3,117 passing yards and 17 touchdowns. He ranks No. 2 in the ACC and No. 4 nationally with 288 completions.
Both quarterbacks made history in their respective debuts. Sagapolutele became just the second true freshman quarterback to start a season opener for Cal and the first to win one after throwing for 234 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-15 win over Oregon State. He recently announced he’ll return to Cal next season.
Alejado made his first career start in last year’s season finale against New Mexico and put up 469 yards and five touchdowns through the air while adding 54 rushing yards. He’s the first Hawaii quarterback to post more than 450 passing yards and 50 rushing yards in a game.
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Alejado leads the Mountain West’s top passing attack, which averages 289.7 yards a game. Hawaii also tied Utah State with a conference-high 26 passing touchdowns this season. He won’t have his top target, though. Jackson Harris opted to sit out of the bowl after announcing he will transfer. He caught 49 passes for 932 yards and 12 touchdowns this year.
The Rainbow Warriors are expected to have another veteran wideout on the field Wednesday. Pofele Ashlock announced Sunday that he plans to stay with Hawaii instead of hitting the portal. The junior leads the team with 62 catches and ranks No. 2 with 704 yards and six touchdowns. He led Hawaii with 63 catches for 721 yards last season.
Cal is not expected to have any opt-outs. Sagapolutele will have his top target in former UNLV wide receiver Jacob De Jesus, who leads the ACC with 99 catches and the team with 892 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
The Hawaii Bowl will also be a homecoming of sorts for Cal interim head coach Nick Rolovich, who replaced Justin Wilcox after he was fired in November. Rolovich and Rainbow Warriors head coach Timmy Chang were teammates at Hawaii. Rolovich was also the head coach at Hawaii from 2016 to 2019 before he spent two seasons at Washington State. He’s expected to remain at Cal as quarterbacks coach under new head coach Tosh Lupoi.
Hawaii vs. Cal Betting Odds
Hawaii is a 1.5-point college football betting odds favorite on BetMGM as of this writing, and the Over/Under is 50.5 points. The moneyline is at -115 for the Rainbow Warriors and -105 for Cal.
Cal leads the all-time series 3-2, but they haven’t played since 2016.
Hawaii vs. Cal On TV
The Hawaii Bowl featuring Hawaii and Cal at the Clarence TC Ching Athletics Complex in Honolulu, Hawaii, will be televised on ESPN.
Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
Hawaii vs. Cal Prediction
I predict Cal wins 27-20, and I predict that the game goes Under 50.5 points.
This game really could go either way depending on which quarterback-receiver duo gets hot. Alejado and Ashlock could take over just as easily as Sagapolutele and De Jesus.
Or two high-powered passing attacks could cancel each other out. If so, the game could come down to which running back rises to the occasion. Running the ball is not Cal’s specialty, but running back Raphael Kendrick could rise to the occasion in this one after posting 12 rushing touchdowns this season.
Cal also has two top-notch cornerbacks who could make Alejado’s life difficult. Hezekiah Masses is tied for No. 2 in the ACC with five interceptions, and he and fellow corner Austin Brent are tied with a team-high 13 pass breakups.
