E Komo Mai, Welcome
Hawaii football once lost 18 games in a row, which included all 12 games of the 1998 season. Change was desperately needed, and for Hawaii's athletic department, the right change was made.
In comes June Jones, who would get to work right away leading Hawai'i to a 9-4 record and a share of the WAC football championship in the 1999 season, making it the most dramatic turnaround in NCAA football history until that record was surpassed by Tulane in the 2022–23 season.
Pupukahi I Holomua, translated into English as, “unite and move forward as one," was then unveiled as the theme for Hawaii's new logo back in 2000. They would do just that under head coach June Jones and his high powered Run and Shoot offense being executed by quarterbacks like Dan Robinson, Nick Rolovich, Timmy Chang, and Warriors legend Colt Brennan (RIP). The Rainbow Warriors put together a 76-41 record (4-2 in bowls) under Jones which included 2 WAC championships, the 2007 undefeated 12-0 season, a Heisman finalist, multiple NCAA records broken, and a BCS Bowl appearance (we don't talk about this game, or Super Bowl LI).
In the 17 seasons since, Hawai'i has a record of 92-127, breaking .500 just four times, and has hired five different head coaches.
However, for the first time since watching my Rainbow Warriors at Aloha Stadium for that magical 2007 season, there is hope surrounding the program. There is actual hype heading into a season because of one reason, that reason: Quarterback Micah Alejado.
Despite being an undersized 5-10, 160 pound left handed quarterback, Micah guided Bishop Gorman to a 12-0 record, a MaxPreps national No. 1 ranking and was named a MaxPreps second-team All-American to cap his senior season for the Gaels. Alejado threw for 2,714 yards and 35 touchdowns with no interceptions, while completing 77.4% of his passes. He added three touchdowns and 261 yards on 25 carries.
He is a local boy, growing up in Ewa Beach but moving to Las Vegas with a plan to improve his recruitment prospects while he was still in middle school. So naturally his top two choices were UNLV and Hawaii, and thankfully he would go with the latter. "Yeah, UNLV pushed for me a lot, but you know, I’m big on loyalty, so when I committed in April I knew I was going to come to Hawaii no matter what," Alejado said in an interview. “So, they made that push; it’s part of the recruiting process, part of having fun as a kid – you only get to enjoy it once. But I mean, Hawaii’s my home and I can’t wait to get back down there.”
He sat on the bench for most of his true freshman season, but when his name got called in the season finale, he delivered. In his first career start Alejado threw for 5 touchdowns and 469 yards, something no other Hawaii quarterback has ever done, to help the Rainbow Warriors beat New Mexico 38-30.
Through the first three seasons with Timmy Chang at the helm, Hawaii has a 13-25 record, so it's safe to say this is a make or break season for Chang, but if Alejado can live up to the hype and execute this offense like that for a whole year, we will be making some noise. Fun fact, Hawaii is 316-316-6 heading into the season so we are starting the dynasty with an even record.
https://youtube.com/shorts/n9s52gTg1B4? ... eCbUWfK2da
2,700 miles away from the University of Hawaii at Manoa resides another university that plays in Paradise.......Paradise, Nevada that is. The "9th Island" is home to the UNLV Rebels and will be the second team that I will be controlling in this dynasty.
UNLV is an interesting team to me as Las Vegas is my second home as it has been for the past thirteen years. They are coming off their best season in school history and although they lost head coach Barry Odom, they reloaded by hiring Dan Mullen. The Rebels haven't had much success in their history, having a losing record all-time (210-335-3), but Mullen comes in with a career head coaching record of 103-61, including 7-3 in bowls during his two stops at Mississippi State and Florida.
I will be playing games and recruiting for both teams, and when they inevitably meet for the Island Showdown each season, I will watch the game and let the CPU dictate who wins. Hope you enjoy this journey of the Nine Islands!
GAME: EA COLLEGE FOOTBALL 26
SYSTEM: XBOX SERIES X
DIFFICULTY: HEISMAN
*My goal is always to be realistic when it comes to gameplay*
Run it up fam
