Hawaii Bowl | |
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EasyPost Hawai'i Bowl | |
Stadium | Clarence T. C. Ching Athletics Complex |
Location | Honolulu, Hawaii |
Previous locations | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii |
Operated | 2002–present |
Conference tie-ins | |
Previous conference tie-ins | |
Payout | US$1.2 million (2019)[1] |
Preceded by | Aloha Bowl |
Sponsors | |
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Former names | |
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2022 matchup | |
Middle Tennessee vs. San Diego State (Middle Tennessee 25–23) | |
2023 matchup | |
Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State (Coastal Carolina 24–14) |
The Hawaiʻi Bowl is a college football bowl game that has been played in the Honolulu, Hawaii, area since 2002. The game was originally held at Aloha Stadium in Halawa, Hawaii, a suburb of Honolulu, before moving to the Clarence T. C. Ching Athletics Complex in 2022. The bowl is one of the post-season contests run by ESPN Events. Typically played on or near Christmas Eve, the bowl normally features a team from the Mountain West Conference, playing a team from either the American Athletic Conference or Conference USA. Since the 2021 edition of the bowl, it is sponsored by EasyPost.[2] Previous sponsors include ConAgra Foods (2002) and Sheraton Hotels and Resorts Hawaii (2003–2013), and SoFi (2018–2019).
For practical and logistical reasons, the Mountain West Conference's tie-in is automatically allocated to the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors if the team is bowl-eligible, and was not selected to play in a New Year's Six (or previously, BCS) bowl game. This means that the Rainbow Warriors do not have to travel to the mainland for a bowl game unless it is of significant importance. As a result of this practice, the Rainbow Warriors have made the most appearances in the game, at nine.[3]
The 2020 edition of the bowl was cancelled in October due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related travel restrictions.[4] The 2021 edition was canceled the day before kickoff, after the Rainbow Warriors withdrew "citing COVID-19 issues within the program in addition to injuries and transfers."[5]