HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i football team opens the 2026 season with a road game at Stanford of the Atlantic Coast Conference, Saturday, Aug. 29. Kickoff is 4:00 p.m. PT (1:00 p.m. HT) at Stanford Stadium. The Rainbow Warriors are coming off a 9-win season – its most wins since 2019 – and are led by Timmy Chang who is in his fifth year at the helm of his alma mater. The game will be televised nationally on the ACC Network.
    

HAWAI'I (0-0, 0-0 MW) vs. STANFORD (0-0, 0-0 ACC)
Date | Time				Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026 | 4:00 p.m. HT / 1:00 p.m. HT
Location | Stadium				Stanford, Calif. | Stanford Stadium (50,424)
National Television				ACC Network. Jorge Sedano (play-by-play), Rodney McCloud (analyst), and Kendra Douglas (sideline).
Local Radio				ESPN Honolulu (1500AM/92.7FM). John Veneri (play-by-play) and Mark Veneri (analyst).
Streaming Audio				ESPNHonolulu.com & ESPN Honolulu app
Live Stats				HawaiiAthletics.com
Game Notes				Hawai'i | Stanford | Mountain West
Social Media				@HawaiiFootball  | #HawaiiFB | @RainbowWarriorsFootball  | Facebook

      
SERIES VS STANFORD 
Series Information: STAN leads 4-1
            In Honolulu: STAN leads 4-1
            In Stanford: First meeting

GAME STORYLINES

• UH will open the season against an Autonomous Four opponent for the fifth time in the last  six seasons and sixth time since 2019.
•  This is the third time in the last four years that Hawai'i and Stanford face off. The teams split the previous two meetings with both coming in Honolulu.
•  Stanford defeated UH 37-24 in UH's 2023 home opener, while the Rainbow Warriors defeated the Cardinal, 23-20, on Kansei Matsuzawa's walk-off field goal to open the 2025 campaign.
• This will be the first time in six meetings that the game will be at Stanford. The teams are scheduled to meet again in 2030, also in Stanford.
• Hawai'i is coming off of a 9-4 season in 2025 — the most wins in a season since 2019.
• UH ended the 2025 season by winning the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl over California as UH bookended its campaign with wins over ACC opponents.
• Head coach Timmy Chang heads into year five leading his alma mater and was named the AFCA Region 5 Coach of the Year in 2025 becoming the first UH head coach to receive the award. Chang recently signed a five-year extension through the 2030 season.
• Chang and Stanford head coach Tavita Prtichard are two of four Polynesian head coaches in FBS (Kalani Sitake-BYU and Ken Niumatalolo-San Josè State).
• Chang is also one of just four FBS head coaches to be coaching in his hometown.
• UH ranks second in FBS with six coaches on its staff, including Chang, who are coaching at their alma mater.
• UH will have to replace 17 starters across offense, defense and special teams. However, of its eight returning starters, four earned All-Mountain West recognition in 2025 (QB Micah Alejado, WR Pofele Ashlock, LB Jamih Otis, DB Elijah Palmer).
• Alejado enters his sophomore season as one of the nation's top quarterbacks, having been placed on six different preseason watch lists, including the Maxwell and Walter Camp Awards.
• Alejado finished 2025 eighth nationally in passing yards per game (282.4) and second in FBS in completions per game (25.9). He also finished third nationally among freshmen in total offense (291.9) while finishing as the only FBS QB to throw for 300+ yards in at least four consecutive games (Sept. 27-Nov. 1).
• LB Ben Hudson played in six games over two seasons at Stanford (2022, '23) before transferring to UH this summer. Hudson has not played football the last two seasons due to injury.
• There are 15 UH players who prepped at Bishop Gorman High School Las Vegas. It's the most players from one high school on any FBS roster. A total of 11 UH players hail from Saint Louis School in Honolulu, a number which ranks second nationally. 

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