Hawaii-UMass Series Canceled, Sacramento State to Host in Honolulu Nov. 28, 2026

Hawaii and UMass have mutually canceled a planned home-and-home football series, and Hawaii will now host the Sacramento State Hornets at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on Nov. 28, 2026, a date FB Schedules said "gives Sacramento State an FBS road test on Nov. 28, 2026 in Honolulu." The scheduling change was first reported March 6, 2026 and, according to FBSchedules, follows an official announcement from both schools that the two-game series would be canceled.

"According to an official announcement from both schools, Hawaii and UMass have mutually agreed to cancel the two-game series," the schools' release said, and FBSchedules added that Hawaii "will now host the Sacramento State Hornets on Nov. 28, 2026." Sacramento State is in transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision and, per FBSchedules, is "moving up from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and will join the Mid-American Conference (MAC) as a football-only member beginning this fall." The Hornets went 7-5 in 2025, including a 5-3 mark in Big Sky Conference play.

The canceled arrangement had been a true home-and-home: Hawaii was to host UMass on Nov. 28, 2026, and the series was due to conclude on Aug. 28, 2027 at McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Amherst, Massachusetts. Hawaii must still find a replacement for the Aug. 28, 2027 season opener at UMass, a date the schools noted remains open following the mutual cancellation. UMass arrives at the scheduling change coming off a 0-12 2025 season in its first year in the MAC and, as Spectrum News Hawaii reported, "owns a 16-game losing streak overall."

Hawaii's published 2026 nonconference slate now lists Week Zero at Stanford on Saturday, August 29, 2026, a Sept. 12 home date with New Mexico State, an Oct. 10 trip to Arizona State, and the Nov. 28 meeting with Sacramento State. FBSchedules spelled out the slate: "Hawaii is scheduled to open the 2026 season in Week Zero on Saturday, August 29 on the road against Stanford. In other non-conference action, the Rainbow Warriors will host New Mexico State on September 12 and travel to Arizona State on October 10."

The matchup is notable for local history and conference logistics: Spectrum News Hawaii observed that "the Rainbow Warriors never played Sac State in its FCS era" and that "it will be the first time since 2020 that UH will not play an FCS team." Hawaii coach Timmy Chang is listed as leading the Rainbow Warriors into the Nov. 28 game against a first-year FBS Sacramento State. Meanwhile, dates for the Mountain West portion of Hawaii's 2026 schedule remain pending; "Dates for the Mountain West portion of the 2026 schedule are expected to be announced in the coming days," after the conference adjusted pairings following North Dakota State's addition as a football-only member.

The schools' joint announcement confirmed the change of opponent and date but did not include financial terms, broadcast arrangements, or ticketing details. With Sacramento State's move into the MAC and a 7-5 season in 2025, the Nov. 28 game represents both an FBS test for the Hornets and a new nonconference final for Hawaii, with final Mountain West scheduling expected to clarify whether the Honolulu game serves as the Rainbow Warriors' regular-season finale.