The 21st annual Hawaii Bowl game featured South Florida and San Jose State.
[10] The game was San Jose State's second appearance in the Hawaii Bowl, and South Florida's first.
South Florida had a three-game losing streak in the middle of the season, but were able to recover in the latter half of the year, clinching bowl eligibility on November 23 after beating Tulsa, 63–30, at home.
They then alternated winning and losing games before clinching bowl eligibility on November 9 by beating Oregon State, 24–13.
San Jose State ended the regular season with a 34–31 win against Stanford in the Bill Walsh Legacy Game to bring their record to 7–5.