Football

Four NWC Teams Announce Start of Oregon Cup in Football

Justin Genovia holds the ball after catching a touchdown pass, as an official signals the touchdown.

Justin Genovia (Sr., WR, Aiea, HI/Iolani School)

Posted: Aug 11, 2023

SALEM, Ore. -- Four Oregon-based Northwest Conference colleges and universities have announced the creation of the Oregon Cup, a non-conference football series featuring familiar conference foes. Football teams from Willamette University, George Fox University, Pacific University, and Lewis & Clark College will compete for the Oregon Cup beginning this year. Two games featuring the four teams will be played during the second week of the season, with opponents and locations rotating each year.

The first edition of the Oregon Cup will take place on Sept. 9, 2023. The Willamette Bearcats will head to Portland to take on the Lewis & Clark Pioneers at 1 p.m. (PDT), while the George Fox Bruins will travel to Forest Grove, Ore., to take on the Pacific Boxers at 1 p.m.

Though all four teams play in the NWC, the Oregon Cup games will not count toward the teams' conference records. Due to this, Willamette and Lewis & Clark, as well as George Fox and Pacific, will play each other twice in 2023, with each team hosting one game.

"My excitement to participate in the Oregon Cup is rooted in the collegiality and competition that the Northwest Conference provides," Willamette Head Football Coach Isaac Parker said. "I enjoy working with, and competing against, our Conference opponents, and the quality of football that exists in our Conference is high.

"With many institutions in the West losing their small college football programs, it is getting harder to find quality opponents. I'm glad that the Oregon members of the Northwest Conference are committed to creatively providing us with quality non-conference games," Parker added. "The opportunity to play these stellar programs is great for our program. Even at the highest level of football, the NFL, divisional teams play each other twice. There is an added layer of strategy and challenge. I look forward to having to prepare for the same team twice in one season. The opportunity to play rivals twice in a season will make for some exciting football!"

Results over the first three seasons, as the teams compete in a non-conference round-robin schedule, will be tallied, culminating in the Oregon Cup Championship Game between the top two teams in 2026. The remaining two teams will play for third place in 2026, with venues for both games still to be determined.

Due to the proximity of the four teams, the Oregon Cup allows fans to travel and watch their favorite teams early in the season. All four schools are within 50 miles of each other.

Willamette will open the 2023 season at the University of La Verne on Saturday, Sept. 2 in La Verne, California. Game time is set for 7 p.m. (PDT). After playing at Lewis & Clark on Sept. 9, the Bearcats will complete the non-conference portion of the schedule at Southern Oregon University at 4 p.m. on Sept. 16. Willamette's home schedule at McCulloch Stadium will feature NWC games against Whitworth University on Oct. 7, Pacific Lutheran University on Oct. 14, the University of Puget Sound on Oct. 28, and Lewis & Clark on Nov. 11. All four home games will start at 1 p.m. (PDT).