They're trying to go back-to-the-future in Honolulu, which was the theme behind bringing back former star quarterback Timmy Chang as the head coach last year in hopes of recreating some of the magic of the June Jones era. The experiment got off to a disastrous start a season ago when Hawaii was buried in its first three games. Things improved marginally thereafter as Chang was able to cobble out three wins. 

The enduring lesson of Rainbow Warriors 2022 might have been their point spread turnaround, covering in nine of their last eleven games (Hawaii played 13 games a year ago) as the numbers became so discounted that's Chang's team actually ended up providing some spread value, which is more solace to the fans than many might realize. Still, the road back to respectability in Jack Lord's old territory could be arduous as long as the Rainbows Warriors are forced to play in the glorified high school stadium (the Chang Complex) on campus for the next several years until the new Aloha Stadium is ready just before the presidential election... in 2028.

Bruce Marshall's full breakdown of Hawaii's 2023 outlook, which includes how he's playing their win total, can be found below as part of SportsLine's preview of the Mountain West season.

Mountain West preview: Conference winner | Air Force | Boise State | Colorado State | Fresno State | Hawaii | Nevada | New Mexico | San Diego State | San Jose State | UNLV | Utah State | Wyoming

2023 Hawaii at a glance

• Last Year: 3-10 SU, 9-4 ATS, 4-9 O/U
• Returning starters: Offense 3; Defense 6
• Win total: 3.5 (Over -135, Under +105)

What do you need to know about Hawaii before locking in your Mountain West futures bets? And which side of their win total makes for the best play? ... Join SportsLine right now to see Mountain West futures betting strategy from a veteran college football expert!