Wayne and Sean are back after UH’s 1-2 start, and this week’s conversation goes way beyond one game.

We grade the New Mexico State performance, talk Micah’s development, and ask whether UH is building something sustainable or just trying to survive another season in a sport that keeps getting more expensive.

The NIL conversation leads into bigger questions about local recruiting, whether money should be concentrated on a few difference-makers, and what UH can realistically become when Power schools and even rising mid-majors are pulling further ahead.

We also revisit the culture conversation around the football program, including the religious tone showing up more publicly, and whether that fits the identity of Hawaiʻi and a public university.

Add in stadium priorities, fan energy, FCS hypotheticals, Hawaii Sports Fans tour updates, and the idea of an island rivalry, and this episode becomes a full UH football therapy session — with receipts.

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This week, Wayne and Sean break down Hawaiʻi’s rough loss to UNLV and why the performance felt bigger than one bad night. The offense couldn’t find the end zone, Micah struggled to connect with his receivers, and while the defense held up at times, UH still looked flat against a rival that has clearly passed them in talent, facilities, NIL, and overall momentum.

We hand out our game grades — including some love for the student section, who showed up and stayed — while asking the harder question: is Hawaiʻi falling behind the very mid-major programs it used to measure itself against?

With New Mexico State now feeling like a must-win, bowl eligibility is still the goal, but the bigger concern is whether UH can realistically close the gap in this new college football world. Plus, we touch on Hawaii Sports Fans updates, next BTS tour momentum (hint: SINGAPORE), and why the fan buzz around UH football needs a serious reboot.

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The Boys discuss the 'Bows opening loss at Stanford, in a game they had a chance to win late in the 4th. With UNLV coming into town, why the team must put this "meaningless" game behind them and focus now on a massive conference opener. 

Sean gives his first report card of the season, and we go back to last week's near-comeback even after UH went nearly three full quarters with less than 100 yards of Offense.

Wayne comes live from the Home Run Seats at Dodger Stadium and 30 other Hawaii Sports Fans VIPs who nearly caught three homers in the Dodgers game against the Cardinals. Come join us on more adventures: hisportsfans.com/tours

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It’s our annual Hawaiʻi football prediction show, which means Wayne and Sean go game-by-game through the season and officially put their guesses on record.

We talk Timmy Chang’s extension, Micah Alejado’s importance to the offense, the questions around the offensive line, and whether UH can build real momentum after last year’s Hawaii Bowl high.

We also break down the schedule, from Stanford and UNLV to North Dakota State, Nevada, UTEP, and the road games that always seem to come with some kind of UH football trauma.

Is this the worst conference UH has been in since they went D1?

No spoilers here — but we make our picks, debate the toss-ups & the traps, and ask whether this is finally the season Hawaiʻi turns optimism into something real.

This week, we follow up on last episode’s conversation about the increasingly religious tone around the UH football program and what that means for the team’s identity.

Then we shift to North Dakota State, a program that didn’t move up to the FBS just to be another average mid-major — not after winning 10 FCS national championships since 2011.

That leads us back to the bigger question: what is the actual goal of being a mid-major in today’s college football world? With NIL money harder to raise at our level, and Power 5 benchwarmers getting paid while mid-majors fight for scraps, the gap feels wider than ever.

And with no Group of Six schools in the preseason AP Top 25, it feels like another sign of the times.

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The Boys dig into the Mountain West settlement and why UH’s payout appears to be a lot lighter than fans originally expected. (Which is what we said would happen.)

Instead of a major financial win, Hawaiʻi may be looking at less than half of the rumored number — another reminder that UH can’t afford to just sit back and hope the conference money saves them.

We also hit Mountain West Media Days, the Stanford opener, Micah Alejado’s preseason hype, and Timmy Chang finally getting his extension.

But the bigger question is still hanging over the whole episode: is UH using its limited money in the smartest way possible? Football gets the headlines, but in this new NIL world, maybe the championship path runs through Wahine Volleyball, men’s volleyball, baseball, or the sports where Hawaiʻi can actually become a national problem again.

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Mountain West Media Days are here, but this year comes with a twist: no preseason poll, even as Hawaiʻi quarterback Micah Alejado was named the conference’s Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. We talk about Alejado’s rise, Timmy Chang’s long-awaited extension, and what the new season could mean for UH football.

Then we ask the uncomfortable question: what if Hawaiʻi took $1 million from football and gave it to Wahine Volleyball? UH may never reach the new $5 million revenue-sharing cap for mid-majors, and even if it did, football still feels far away from national-title contention — but with more investment, Wahine Volleyball could realistically chase championships every year like it used to.

We also get into how NIL was supposed to distribute TV money more fairly to players and coaches, but has instead turned into fans being asked to fund the gap.

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University of Hawaiʻi athletics took an important step forward by securing new NIL funding, but the bigger question remains: is it enough to keep UH competitive in the modern college sports landscape? We break down what the funding means, why NIL support matters more than ever, and why Hawaiʻi still faces major challenges compared to bigger-budget programs. From recruiting and retention to travel, facilities, and conference positioning, we discuss what UH needs next if it wants to truly level up. Plus, we go team-by-team through every active UH program and catch you up on the latest around Mānoa athletics.

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Hawaii Men’s Volleyball is chasing the biggest prize in the sport, and we ask whether this is the team that can finish the job and win it all. Along the way, we look at the success of the program’s jersey auctions, including the attention-grabbing “unwashed” twist, and why Hawaii should lean even harder into creative fan engagement. We also discuss Jordan Lucas and the national buzz he brought into Hawaii after turning heads last week. Championship pressure, smart marketing, and star power all collide in this episode. (And we beat the 13th Game drum for UH Football. Again.)

Hawaii hoops just got messy: Laura Beeman is walking away after 14 seasons, and Eran Ganot—on the last year of his deal—was handed another leash by the AD. The boys dig into what these moves mean for both programs.

Plus: UH men’s volleyball is rolling into postseason— is an NCAA berth all but guaranteed?

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