Prior to Hawaii’s game against the Washington Huskies in Seattle, optimism was reaching a high point for the program. Hawaii had one win against the Power 5 programs since 2012. They’ve doubled that total this season alone. The jokes were plenty, Hawaii having more wins against the Pac-12 in 2019 than any single Pac-12 team had. Head coach Nick Rolovich got in on the joke by posting a picture of the Rose Bowl’s famous logo on Twitter.
Could Hawaii do the unthinkable and defeat Washington in Seattle, going 3-0 in Pac-12 play? Needless to say, there would be no joking Saturday evening.