The University of Hawaii announced Friday it has mutually canceled a two-game football series with Massachusetts set to take place over the next two seasons.
In place of the Nov. 28 meeting with the Minutemen at the back end of the 2026 schedule, UH announced a replacement game against new FBS member Sacramento State on the same date at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex.
UH must still replace its would-be Aug. 28, 2027 season opener at UMass.
UMass went 0-12 in 2025, its first season in the Mid-American Conference, and owns a 16-game losing streak overall.
The Rainbow Warriors never played Sac State in its FCS era. The Hornets went 7-5 in 2025, including 5-3 in Big Sky Conference play.
The MAC announced in mid-February that Sacramento State joined as a new FBS member.
UH’s other 2026 nonconference games are at Stanford (Aug. 29), New Mexico State (Sept. 12) and at Arizona State (Oct. 10). It will be the first time since 2020 that UH will not play an FCS team.
Dates for the Mountain West portion of the 2026 schedule are expected to be announced in the coming days. The MWC had to modify its league pairings for 2026 last month due to the addition of North Dakota State as a football-only member.
Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.