Hawaii vs New Mexico State 10/24/21 College Football Picks and Predictions

The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and New Mexico State Aggies meet Saturday night in week 8 college football action from Clarence TC Ching Athletics Complex. New Mexico State is coming off a bye last week. The Aggies’ most recent game was a loss to Nevada earlier this month. As for the Warriors, they played Nevada in their last outing this past weekend. In that one Hawaii lost by 17 points. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place. 

New Mexico State lost their first three games of the 2021 season, falling to UTEP 30-3, San Diego State 28-10 and New Mexico 34-25. After a 43-35 win over South Carolina State, it was three more losses to Hawaii, San Jose State and Nevada. 

In the 55-28 loss to Nevada, the Aggies coughed up 28 points in the second quarter and had little chance at recovering from there. QB Jonah Johnson put up 425 yards with three scores, and Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda had five catches for 76 yards. 

Over on the Hawaii side, they got just one win in their first four games, a 49-35 affair versus Portland State. Otherwise it was defeats by UCLA, Oregon State and San Jose State. After that came wins 41-21 over New Mexico State and 27-24 over Fresno State. 

Last weekend versus Nevada, the Warriors coughed up 14 points in the third quarter on the way to a 34-17 loss. QB Brayden Schager finished with 205 yards and four interceptions. Dae Dae Hunter led the rush with 174 yards and two touchdowns off eight carries. 

The Aggies are 4-0 ATS in their last four road games and 5-1 ATS in their last six games overall. New Mexico State is also 7-0 ATS in their last seven after a straight-up loss.
Meanwhile, the Warriors are 14-30-1 ATS in their last 45 at home and 16-37 ATS versus a team with a losing record. Hawaii is 10-26-1 ATS in their last 37 games in October as well. 

PICK: I’m probably going to stick with Hawaii. The Warriors are going to need a big bounce-back effort here, though. Hawaii coughed up five turnovers against Nevada last weekend and allowed 395 passing yards. There were a few positives (188 rush yards) but otherwise it was a forgettable game.

As for the Aggies, their offense was pretty good statistically (playing from behind most of the game) against Nevada with 425 pass yards and 25 first downs. Trouble is, New Mexico State gave up 532 yards on the other side with 7.7 yards per play on average. This one could be a fun matchup if both teams start scoring early, but I think Hawaii has the inside track on a cover—provided they play to their capabilities.