Previewing the Hawaii Bowl matchup between California and Hawaii

The Hawaii Bowl wasn’t created until shortly after the dawn of the 21st century, but for most of its existence it has occupied this special time slot on the holiday schedule.

This year, for the first time since 2019, the home-town Rainbow Warriors will be part of the festivities. Hawaii’s opponent will be California, whom the Warriors last faced in 2016 in Sydney, Australia. Among the numerous subplots to this contest, Hawaii will look to open and close its season with a sweep of the Bay Area branch of the ACC.

Here’s what you need to know about the game.

Hawaii Bowl: California vs. Hawaii

Time/TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN in Honolulu.

Why watch: There are worse ways to spend Christmas Eve, and bowl organizers are glad to have the Rainbow Warriors back in this event for essentially an extra home game. They’re also glad to welcome back interim Golden Bears’ coach Nick Rolovich, a Hawaii alum and former teammate of Warriors coach Timmy Chang. Anything short of an all-out aerial showcase will be a disappointment given the passing history of the coaches. California freshman QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele does get help on the ground from RB Kendrick Raphael, but WR Jacob De Jesus provides the constant home-run threat. The Warriors’ triggerman is QB Micah Alejado, whose arsenal includes WRs Jackson Harris and Pofele Ashlock. We’d also be remiss if we didn’t mention Hawaii PK Kansei Matsuzawa, a.k.a. the Tokyo Toe, the self-taught kicker who became an overnight sensation when he hit a winning field goal to beat Stanford way back in August.

Why it could disappoint: The Golden Bears will undoubtedly have a physical edge, but the Warriors have only lost once on their home island this season. Hopefully you’ll be entertained while wrapping those last few presents.