The Hawaii Bowl matchup against California for the University of Hawaiʻi football team was the focus of the latest episode of Hawaii Football Final, which premiered Sunday night on the KHON+ app and featured KHON2 Sports Director Rob DeMello and analyst Rich Miano.

DeMello and Miano, a former UH player and coach and 11–year NFL veteran, discussed the Rainbow Warriors’ upcoming appearance in the Sheraton Hawaiʻi Bowl, answered fan questions in the “HFF Mailbox,” and broke down the next steps for the program. An extended version of the show is also released Sunday nights on major podcast platforms, including Spotify. A television rebroadcast airs Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. on KHON2.

Earlier in the week, bowl officials announced the 2025 matchup, which will feature Hawaiʻi against California of the Atlantic Coast Conference on Christmas Eve at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex in Mānoa. The game has already generated significant interest locally and nationally, fueled in part by a headline coaching storyline — a meeting between two former UH quarterbacks.

Hawaiʻi head coach Timmy Chang will lead the Rainbow Warriors into his first bowl game, opposite former UH quarterback and one-time Warriors head coach Nick Rolovich, who will serve as Cal’s interim head coach.

On the field, the Hawaiʻi Bowl will showcase two Hawaiʻi-born quarterbacks. UH freshman Micah Alejado — recently named Mountain West Freshman of the Year — will face Campbell High School alumnus Jaron-Keāwe Sagapolutele, the 2024 Mariota Award winner.

The matchup is one of several storylines surrounding Hawaiʻi’s return to postseason play, all of which DeMello and Miano examined as the Rainbow Warriors prepare for their Christmas Eve showdown in Honolulu.