CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

1989 Hawai’i

9–⁠3–⁠1 (5–⁠2–⁠1 Western Athletic Conference), coached by Bob Wagner.

Schedule and results

Hawai’i in 1989, game by game: won vs. Tulane 31–26; won vs. Long Beach State 63–10; lost at Wyoming 15–20; won vs. Utah 67–20; won vs. New Mexico 60–14; won vs. San Diego State 31–24; lost at Colorado State 16–31; won vs. No. 18 BYU 56–14; won vs. UTEP 26–7; won vs. Pacific 34–26; won vs. Oregon State 23–21; tied vs. Air Force 35–35; lost vs. No. 22 Michigan State 13–33+53−20Won 31–26 vs. Tulane+5TulaneWon 63–10 vs. Long Beach State+53Long Beach StateLost 15–20 at Wyoming-5WyomingWon 67–20 vs. Utah+47UtahWon 60–14 vs. New Mexico+46New MexicoWon 31–24 vs. San Diego State+7San Diego StateLost 16–31 at Colorado State-15Colorado StateWon 56–14 vs. No. 18 BYU+42No. 18 BYUWon 26–7 vs. UTEP+19UTEPWon 34–26 vs. Pacific+8PacificWon 23–21 vs. Oregon State+2Oregon StateTied 35–35 vs. Air Force0Air ForceLost 13–33 vs. No. 22 Michigan State-20No. 22 Michigan State
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below; orange marks an upset win.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 2vsTulaneW 31–⁠2670%
Sep 9vsLong Beach StateW 63–⁠1076%
Sep 16atWyomingL 15–⁠2047%
Sep 23vsUtahW 67–⁠2065%
Sep 30vsNew MexicoW 60–⁠1485%
Oct 7vsSan Diego StateW 31–⁠2475%
Oct 21atColorado StateL 16–⁠3171%
Oct 28vs18BYUW 56–⁠1446%
Nov 4vsUTEPW 26–⁠778%
Nov 11vsPacificW 34–⁠2692%
Nov 25vsOregon StateW 23–⁠2178%
Dec 9vsAir ForceT 35–⁠3562%
Dec 25Bowls & playoffvs22Michigan StateAloha BowlL 13–⁠3345%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Michigan State 33–⁠13 in the Aloha Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; 3rd in the Western Athletic Conference.

In program history: The 6th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 97 on file).

AP poll, week by week

  1. Wk 12: 24
  2. Wk 13: 24
  3. Wk 14: 23
  4. Wk 15: 23
  5. Wk 16: 25
Record
9–⁠3–⁠1
Conference
5–⁠2–⁠1 3rd in Western Athletic Conference
AP final
Unranked peak No. 23
Points
470–⁠281
Coach
Bob Wagner
Elo
1581 +45 this season
SP+ rating
7.4 No. 37 of 103; offense No. 17, defense No. 71
SRS
7.0 No. 32 of 106 in Division I-A
Recruiting class
—
Offensive coordinator
Paul Johnson
Defensive coordinator
Rich Ellerson
Offense
Triple option
Defense
4–⁠3

Drafted in 1990

The 1990 draft
Rd 3Leo Goeas OTSan Diego Chargers

1989 Western Athletic Conference standings

TeamConf.OverallAP final
BYU7–⁠110–⁠322
Air Force5–⁠1–⁠18–⁠4–⁠1
Hawai’i5–⁠2–⁠19–⁠3–⁠1
Wyoming5–⁠35–⁠6
San Diego State4–⁠36–⁠5–⁠1
Colorado State4–⁠35–⁠5–⁠1
Utah2–⁠64–⁠8
UTEP1–⁠72–⁠10
New Mexico0–⁠72–⁠10

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.