Five reasons to watch the Hawaii Bowl

Okay, listen, we get it. Most likely, you think bowl season starts on New Year's Eve. Maybe slightly earlier depending on when your team is playing. But regardless of whether or not you're aware of them, the bowls have already started, and there's plenty of college football action to get you through to the main event around New Year's.

Pregame rituals are a staple of college football, and although they may not directly affect the result of the game, they can definitely help fans get hyped enough for teams to feed off them.

Both teams in the Hawaii Bowl have great pregame rituals in the Haka and the rubbing of the horseshoe, so which one will prevail on Christmas Eve this year?

Here are five reasons to watch the Hawaii Bowl this year.

Hawaii Bowl
Middle Tennessee (8-4, Conference USA) vs. Hawaii (6-7, Mountain West Conference)
Location: Hawaiian Airlines Field at Aloha Stadium, Honolulu
Time: Saturday, Dec. 24, 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
Channel: ESPN

• The Haka. In terms of intimidation, dancing tends to rank somewhere between writing a stern letter and baking cookies for your opponent. Or at least that was the case until people starting paying attention to the Haka. Traditionally, the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors have only been performing the Maori war dance since 2006, but it has definitely caught the attention of college football. It helped Colt Brennan to a Heisman Trophy finalist campaign in 2007, when he threw for 4,343 yards and 38 touchdowns. Unfortunately for the Rainbow Warriors, Colt Brennan is not taking snaps for Hawaii this year in the Hawaii Bowl. The Rainbow Warriors come into the Hawaii Bowl winning their last two games but have been inconsistent all year long. They went 0-3 against Power 5 Conference opponents, including an absolute beat-down loss against Michigan, 63-3. A lot of that inconsistency can be expected with a first-year head coach in Nick Rolovich, but the team just hasn’t been that good. First-year starter Dru Brown hasn’t been able to be leaned on consistently in a pass-first offense, so despite having over 50 dudes basically dancing that they are going to beat you to the ground, the Rainbow Warriors have hardly been able to intimidate anyone this year.
• The Luck of the Horseshoe. The Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders have a more superstitious ritual that they have ridden to a successful season: a blue horseshoe in Walnut Grove with a penny dated 1911 (the university’s founding year) buried underneath. Students and alumni touch the horse show before big games to give the team a little luck or, for this year at least, a lot of luck. The Blue Raiders ended with an 8-4 record. Middle Tennessee State carved opponents, gaining 514.8 total yards per game for the season and scoring 40.1 points per game. They’re coming into the Hawaii Bowl hot, putting up 77 points against Florida Atlantic.
• Middle Tennessee State’s I’Tavius Mathers and Richie James are going to go off. The Blue Raiders have ridden the backs of two superb athletes all year. Running back I’Tavius Mathers was all over the field, gaining 2,093 yards of total offense. He did a lot of damage on the ground, scoring 16 touchdowns in the rushing attack with speed and quickness in the open field. Middle Tennessee State also has wide receiver Richie James, who added 1,763 yards on the ground and through the air. His 11 touchdowns receiving lead the team, and he is one of the most complete wide receivers in the country whom no one knows about. With Hawaii’s defense susceptible to, well, anything, expect these two to have a big game.
• Where’s the defense? Hawaii’s defense has been a huge concern all season, giving up 37.5 points per game, while allowing 455.4 yards per game. While Middle Tennessee State has made a living outscoring opponents but has also let a couple opponents hang around in games with its turnstile defense. The Raiders were almost just as bad as Hawaii in terms of scoring defense, giving up 34.4 points per game this season. If you were looking for a shootout, this is going to be the game to watch.
• Home cooking? Despite having the game at home, Hawaii has been less than successful at the Hawaii Bowl. The Warriors have lost their last two games by an average margin of 27.5 points and are 3-3 historically at the Hawaii Bowl. It has been six years since they participated in postseason football at Aloha Stadium. Rainbow Warrior fans are hoping that luck changes this year.