Notre Dame-Hawaii: College Football Pick'em Hawaii Bowl

Christmas Eve means Bowl season, and this year this is one game on the docket. Unlike most years, this Christmas Eve game actually showcases an interesting team that will more than likely draw a decent-sized national audience. The 2008 Hawaii Bowl will feature Hawaii vs. Notre Dame. Yes, this is what the Fighting Irish have been relegated to under Charlie Weis.

Last time most of us saw the Warriors of Hawaii, they were being run out of the Superdome by the Georgia Bulldogs in last year's Sugar Bowl. Well, a lot has changed since then. No, the team has not improved—they lost a lot of talent from the 2007 team—but they are playing against teams that are better suited for their level of competition.

Let’s face it—Hawaii had no business playing one of the hottest teams in the country in a major bowl game. While it is possible for a Boise State to beat an Oklahoma in a BCS Bowl game, it is not the norm. Don’t believe me? Just ask Utah in a few weeks when Alabama gets through working them over.

Anyways, back to Hawaii, and their latest Bowl appearance against the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. This will be a home game for Hawaii as they will play in Aloha Stadium.

This is also one of the best-kept secrets in football; Hawaii has an obvious home field advantage thanks to the distance teams have to travel to play them. However, they also have some of the fiercest and most loyal fans in the country, and they will let opposing teams know they are not welcome on the island.

Hawaii began the season on a downward spiral, beginning just 1-3. There is no doubt the team had to adjust to a new quarterback and new coaches. In addition, there were plenty of programs that were ready to pay them back for the beatdowns they delivered last season. However, since their slow start Hawaii has bounced back and put together a solid season, going 7-6 overall and finishing second in the WAC.

Typically we have gotten used to watching Hawaii toss the ball around and put up close to 50 pass attempts a game. They will still do that on offense, but quarterback Greg Alexander has been limited in his efficiency all season due to a lack of talent at the skill positions around him. To be frankly honest, good defenses can now shut down the once vaunted Hawaii fun and gun offense.

On the defensive side of the ball, Hawaii has some solid players. They tout the WAC co-defensive player of the year in linebacker Solomon Elimimian. In addition, the Rainbow Warriors also have stud defensive end David Veikune, who is great at generating pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

In the final six games of the regular season Veikune racked up nine sacks and 16 tackles for loss. You can rest assured that the Notre Dame offensive line will have their hands full trying to keep him in check.

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