Middle Tennessee entered the bowl with a 7–5 record (4–4 in conference). Middle Tennessee finished tied for fourth in the final Conference-USA standings for the season, posting the same conference record as both
UAB and
Florida Atlantic. This was Middle Tennessee's 14th bowl game appearance and 9th at the
NCAA Division I level, with a prior record of 5–8 in bowl games (3–6 at Division I). It was Middle Tennessee's second appearance in the Hawaii Bowl, having previously played in the
2016 edition.
San Diego State entered the bowl with a 7–5 record (5–3 in conference). San Diego State tied for second in the West Division of the Mountain West Conference with
San Jose State. This was San Diego State's 20th bowl game appearance, with a prior record of 10–9 in bowl games. This was San Diego State's second Hawaii Bowl appearance, having previously played in the
2015 edition. It was also San Diego State's third postseason game in
Honolulu; the school played in the 1952
Pineapple Bowl where they defeated
Hawaii, 34–13.
Middle Tennessee entered the bowl with a 7–5 record (4–4 in conference). Middle Tennessee finished tied for fourth in the final Conference-USA standings for the season, posting the same conference record as both
UAB and
Florida Atlantic. This was Middle Tennessee's 14th bowl game appearance and 9th at the
NCAA Division I level, with a prior record of 5–8 in bowl games (3–6 at Division I). It was Middle Tennessee's second appearance in the Hawaii Bowl, having previously played in the
2016 edition.
San Diego State entered the bowl with a 7–5 record (5–3 in conference). San Diego State tied for second in the West Division of the Mountain West Conference with
San Jose State. This was San Diego State's 20th bowl game appearance, with a prior record of 10–9 in bowl games. This was San Diego State's second Hawaii Bowl appearance, having previously played in the
2015 edition. It was also San Diego State's third postseason game in
Honolulu; the school played in the 1952
Pineapple Bowl where they defeated
Hawaii, 34–13.