The first time Stanford ever lost to Hawaii in five all-time games was in last season's opening contest, 23-20. This year the Cardinal will be looking to get right back on track with a win over the Rainbow Warriors in another Week 0 matchup, and their first at home against Hawaii.
This is the third time in the last four years that Stanford opens the season against Hawaii. There is one additional matchup scheduled between these two programs on Aug. 31, 2030.
Stanford enters this season with its third coach in three seasons, with Tavita Pritchard returning to run the program after some time coaching in the NFL. The vibes around this program are high, even though expectations are a little muted due to the incredibly difficult schedule in front of the Cardinal in 2026.
Davis Warren has already been named Stanford's starting quarterback for this matchup and he'll be looking to make a big first impression for a new fan base after transferring from Michigan.
How to Watch or Listen to Stanford vs. Hawaii
Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 29.
Television — ACC Network with Jorge Sedano (pxp), Rodney McLeod (analyst), Kendra Douglas (sideline) on the call.
Local Radio — Cardinal Sports Network • KNBR 1050 AM • Sirius XM 81. Kevin Richardson ‘88 (PxP) and Jason Fisk '94 (analyst) will be taking over in the booth this season. The game will also be available on KZSU 90.1 FM from the Stanford campus.
New Helmet on Display
Stanford will be celebrating Pacific Islander heritage during the season opener with a twist on the classic uniforms. Teaming up with Island Avenue, the Cardinal will wear a traditional white helmet that features a unique stripe across the center, as we showed in a recent community post.
These helmets will feature a red facemask, marking the first time Stanford will have a red facemask with its white helmet since Nov. 25, 2017. No. 20 Stanford defeated No. 9 Notre Dame 38-20 at home in that game.
Player to Watch
Micah Ford is going to be the player to watch in this matchup. The junior Stanford running back will be leading the rushing attack in 2026 after playing in nine games and earning 145 rushing attempts last season for 643 yards and four touchdowns. He also added 11 receptions for another 119 yards.
This year he'll be looking to become Stanford's first 1,000-yard rusher since Bryce Love in 2017. Love rushed for 2,118 yards that season, and Pritchard was the team's quarterbacks/wide receivers coach that season. He's seen Stanford succeed with a run-heavy approach in the past, and will be looking to get Ford his touches each game.
Last season Ford rushed 26 times for 113 yards against Hawaii and added a touchdown. Against this same defense last season he was given the most carries he'd see all season and had a pretty good game.
With an improved offensive line this season, there should be more holes for Ford to find, which may not lead to a higher number of carries in this game, but his production should be substantial.
Also keep an eye out for him in the passing game. At ACC media day, Ford said that he wanted to catch more passes this season, and that Pritchard was cooking up something for him.
Position Group to Watch
The wide receivers will be the most interesting group to watch early on this season. This is a young group that just lost one of its key veterans in Caden High for an undisclosed period of time.
With CJ Williams and Sam Roush in the NFL and Bryce Farrell graduated, High was the returning receiver with the most experience. Ford was next with 11 catches for 119 yards. Tight end Benji Blackburn, another breakout candidate, was the final player to record at least 100 receiving yards, recording 109 receiving yards.
The key players to watch in this group in Week 0 will be Blackburn, who figures to step into a Roush-like role for the program in 2026, Yale transfers Nico Brown and David Pantelis, and redshirt freshman JonAnthony Hall.
Pantelis and Hall were with the program last season but missed it due to injuries. They're entering this season healthy and ready to make an impact.
Later this week, we'll find out Stanford's depth chart and any additional injuries the program is dealing with.