Football in the Aloha State has been around long before statehood arrived in 1959, and has seen action at the high school, college and even professional level over that period. However, with the start of the 2015-16 football season ready to get going, the presence of the most prominent example of the sport finds itself in major financial difficulty.

The shaky status of the University of Hawaii's football program was made clear prior to the start of the 2014 season, when the school's athletic director Ben Jay indicated the program had a deficit of just over $2 million for 2014, and had lost money in 11 of the previous 13 years. One of the main issues causing this problem has been a close to 40 percent drop in attendance from the high point of 2007 to 2014. In 2007, the team was undefeated during the regular season at 12-0, and had a high-powered and crowd-friendly offense to drive up interest. And naturally those who engage in Hawaii sports betting are more inclined to do so when they have a solid home team to bet on.

That 2007 success wasn't just a fluke, since the team has reached the nine-win level (or higher) 10 times since the mid-1980's. However, with the attendance issue affecting the football program's budget, finding a way to fix the problem could become a continuing issue that those in power might not want to keep dealing with in the years ahead. That could conceivably put an end to the program.

The Rainbow Warriors' head coach Norm Chow is beginning his fourth year at the helm in 2015, but has had major struggles during the entire period. He was able to improve the team's won-loss record in 2014 by three games, but that's a misleading statistic considering the team won only four games last year. At quarterback, three options exist for the 2015-16 football season, with Ikaika Woolsey's chances of starting again slim after a number of poor performances. Beau Reilly was a freshman redshirt, but his chances of taking the job are questionable.

That leaves Max Wittek, who began his collegiate career at Southern Cal. He's a senior with great size (6-4, 240) and a strong arm, but he's still pretty much untested when it comes to game action. Whoever is throwing the ball will have the duo of Marcus Kemp and Quinton Pedroza as his main targets. The two combined for 115 catches and six scores in 2014.

The running game has Steven Lakalaka back after gaining 700 yards, but speed in the backfield will likely be provided by Diocemy Saint Juste and Pereese Joas. If the offense slumps, it won't be the fault of a line that has plenty of experience, with the versatile Ben Clarke providing the most flexibility in the lineup. During his time with the Rainbow Warriors. Clarke has lined up at both tackle and center.

Hawaii's defense is in need of a huge overhaul, news that's made worse by the team's 2015 non-conference schedule that has them facing defending national champion Ohio State, Wisconsin and Boise State. Still, the team has the squad's top returning tackler in linebacker Simon Poti, and the secondary remains strong, especially at safety. Up front, Luke Shawley and Kennedy Tulimasealii will be people to watch.

The lure of Hawaii has attracted and continues to attract professional football. Evidence of the former was seen in the two 1961 American Football League preseason games, a World Football League team in 1974-75 and a 1976 exhibition matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and San Diego Chargers.

However, the clearest continuing example began in 1980, when the National Football League began playing its annual Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium. The move served as an enticement for players reluctant to play in the game that, until recently, was always the final game of the NFL season.

Other than 2009, when the game was in Miami, and 2014, when the game was in Arizona, Hawaii has been synonymous with the Pro Bowl. As far as determining which team most Hawaiians support, there's no clear consensus, making any calculation a risky endeavor.