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California Golden Bears vs. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
The 2025 college football bowl season includes a Christmas Eve matchup in the Aloha State: the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, pitting the California Golden Bears against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. The game will be played at the Clarence T. C. Ching Athletics Complex in Honolulu, with kickoff scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
California holds a 2-1 edge in the all-time series against Hawaii, most recently dominating with a 51-21 victory in 2016.
Team Overviews and Recent Form
The Golden Bears (7-5) closed the regular season on a high note with a thrilling 38-35 win over SMU. However, they’ve struggled in postseason play, dropping their last three bowl appearances.
Hawaii (8-4) heads into the bowl riding momentum from a convincing 27-7 victory over Wyoming. The Rainbow Warriors have a solid history in this event, posting a 5-4 record all-time in the Hawaii Bowl.
Historically, Hawaii’s appearances in this bowl have produced high-scoring affairs—eight of their nine prior games featured at least 60 combined points, with five surpassing 70.
Key Players to Watch
For Hawaii, quarterback Micah Alejado has been a standout, leading the Mountain West in passing yards per game. He’s thrown three passing touchdowns in five of his last seven outings. However, the offense takes a hit with star receiver Jackson Harris (nearly 1,000 receiving yards this season) entering the transfer portal.
California’s attack is led by quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, a Hawaii native returning home. In his most recent start, he threw for 330 yards and four touchdowns, showcasing the explosive passing potential that could shine under the lights in Honolulu.
Storylines and What to Expect
This matchup features two teams with dynamic passing offenses, setting the stage for potential fireworks. Sagapolutele, playing in front of family and friends, adds a compelling personal angle as he looks to lead Cal to a breakthrough bowl win. Meanwhile, Hawaii aims to leverage the home-field energy (despite the neutral-site designation) and continue their tradition of entertaining, high-output performances in this bowl.
Both squads have shown the ability to light up the scoreboard in recent games, making this an intriguing holiday showdown between familiar foes.