Not much has changed in the Northwest Conference over the past decade as far as the teams competing and the ones winning the NWC titles.

Linfield Football has won seven conference championships since 2015 and 13 since 2009, including nine straight at one point, while Whitworth has remained the biggest contender and even snagged a pair of titles.

It’s not that the other teams – Pacific Lutheran, Lewis & Clark, Pacific, George Fox, Puget Sound, and Willamette – haven’t been jockeying for positions and moving around over the years; it's just that Linfield has only lost two NWC games since the start of the 2015 season.

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For those who want to see how things unfold in the Northwest Conference this year, there's good GREAT news - in July, the NWC and FloSports announced a five-year media rights agreement that will bring live and on-demand coverage of all NWC sports (not just football) to FloSports subscribers all year long. That equals more than 800 regular-season and postseason broadcasts annually. 

Before things in the Northwest get going during the first week of September, here’s a look at last year’s NWC final standings and a few fun facts about each team.

2024 Northwest Conference Football Standings

1. Linfield 10-2 (7-0 conference)
2. Whitworth 10-2 (6-1 conference)
3. Pacific Lutheran 7-3 (5-2 conference)
4. Lewis & Clark 5-5 (4-3 conference)
5. Pacific 5-5 (3-4 conference)
6. George Fox 4-6 (2-5 conference)
7. Puget Sound 2-8 (1-6 conference)
8. Willamette 2-8 (0-7 conference)

About The Teams Of The Northwest Conference

Fast facts about each team in the NWC:

Linfield Football

The most impressive and noteworthy thing about Linfield football, other than the team’s recent dominance in the NWC, is that the Wildcats own college football’s longest streak of consecutive winning seasons, a mark that began in 1956 and reached 68 years with their 10-2 record in 2024. The next-closest team on the list is Mount Union at 46 years. 

To regain the Northwest Conference title in 2024, Linfield defeated Whitworth in the final game of the regular season, 34-7, to remain undefeated in conference play and land atop the standings.

It was just the second time in NWC history that two unbeaten teams (in conference action) met in the final game of the year to decide the champion. The first was 2023 and included the same two programs – Linfield and Whitworth – with Whitworth winning that battle, 28-24.

Whitworth Football

Whitworth won the Northwest Conference crown in 2018 and then finished in the middle of the standings until winning again in 2023.

To take the title in the last regular-season game of the year, the Pirates scored twice in the final quarter, while holding Linfield scoreless, to escape with the 28-24 victory.

Despite relinquishing the title in 2024, Whitworth advanced to the NCAA Division III Playoffs for the second straight season and finished with 10 or more wins for the second consecutive year, too.

Pacific Lutheran Football

The break that came with the COVID-19 pandemic has paid off for Pacific Lutheran, which hadn’t won more than four games since 2016, but rebounded from the shutdown with nothing but an upward trajectory.

In 2021, the Lutes bounced back from a 2-7 performance in 2019 with a 4-5 record. In 2022, they were 6-4. They slipped a little in 2023, going 5-5, but a redemption run in 2024 ended with a 7-3 record, their best performance in a decade. 

At one time, Pacific Lutheran was a regular fixture in the postseason, including a Division III national championship in 1999. 

Based on how the Lutes performed last year, there’s no reason they can’t climb a rung or two if Linfield or Whitworth experiences any struggles. 

Lewis & Clark Football

Lewis & Clark has slowly been working its way up the NWC standings, and if the Pioneers ever were going to be a threat, it would be this season – or soon.

When they take the field in 2025, they’ll be led by new head coach Brett Elliott, who has strong ties to Linfield as a player and a coach. He was the 2005 National Player of the Year there in 2005, and he just spent six years as the team’s offensive coordinator.

Not only will he have insight into what makes Linfield tick, he clearly has the tools and knowledge to help a team succeed. 

Lewis & Clark is coming off a three-year resurgence led by Joe Bushman, and a proven winner has just inherited a team on the rise. That sounds like a perfect recipe for success.

Pacific Football

If the strong returning players for Pacific can motivate and elevate the rest of the squad, the Boxers could see themselves rise in the NWC standings once again.

On the shoulders of running back Brody Bantolina during his record-setting junior season, Pacific improved from a 2-7/2-5 season in 2023 to 5-5/3-4 in 2024. 

Bantolina will be a senior this year and has the experience to lead the team, on and off the field. 

The Boxers also might have some momentum heading into the new season, as they stopped a four-game skid last year to end the campaign with a pair of conference wins. That has to be good for the confidence. 

George Fox Football

George Fox will also get a new coach in 2025, and it will be another in-conference move.

Spencer Crace, who previously was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at on-the-rise Pacific Lutheran, takes over for Chris Casey, who helped revive the George Fox football program after a 45-year hiatus and coached the Bruins to a 51-48 record in 11 seasons.

In 2022, George Fox and Pacific Lutheran tied for second place in the Northwest Conference behind undefeated Linfield, so the experience and potential are there for the Bruins.

Puget Sound Football

Puget Sound didn’t get a new head coach in the offseason, but the Loggers did make some changes to help turn around a struggling defense that surrendered more than 46 points per game last year.

The offense, on the other hand, was more than solid – it was ranked No. 8 in Division III with 315.5 yards per game.

The Loggers return eight starters on offense, have a strong crew of quarterbacks ready to lead the way and co-coordinators on defense hoping to slow opposing teams and let the Puget Sound offense do its thing.

Willamette Football

There’s nowhere to go but up for the Willamette football team. 

Though the Bearcats have enjoyed past success, it has been a long time since they’ve been in the spotlight – for winning, at least.

Willamette enters the 2025 season having lost 51 consecutive conference games. The Bearcats have posted a 9-68 overall record while recording seven consecutive winless seasons in NWC play.

The good news is that in his first season with the Bearcats, head coach Aric Williams led the team to two early wins, which was one more victory than the team had in 2023.

After having the year to gel, Williams will be back for his sophomore campaign having hopefully learned a lot about his team and what it will take to continue turning things around.

How To Stream Northwest Conference Football Games In 2025

Every NWC football game will stream live on FloCollege and the FloSports app. 

Game replays, highlights and breaking news will also be available on both platforms.

When Do The 2025 NCAA Division III College Football Playoffs Start?

The first round of the 2025 NCAA Division III Playoffs will be Nov. 22.

The 2025 Division III Football Championship title game will be played Jan. 10, 2026, at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.

College Football Rankings 2025 – AFCA Division III Preseason Coaches Poll

2025 Preseason

1. North Central (51) 15-0
2. Mount Union 14-1
3. Johns Hopkins 12-2
4. St. John’s (Minn.) 11-1
5. Susquehanna 12-2
6. Hardin-Simmons 10-1
7. Salisbury 12-1
8. Mary Hardin-Baylor 8-4
9. Wartburg 10-2
10. UW-La Crosse 8-4
11. Cortland 11-1
12. Bethel (Minn.) 11-3
13. Springfield 12-1
14. UW-Platteville 9-2
15. Linfield 10-2
16. DePauw 11-1
17. Wheaton 9-2
18. Carnegie Mellon 10-2
19. UW-River Falls 7-3
20. Hope 11-1
21. Randolph-Macon 10-2
22. UW-Whitewater 6-4
23. Grove City 9-2
24. Aurora 9-2
25. John Carroll 9-3

Others Receiving Votes: Washington & Jefferson, 71; UW-Oshkosh, 70; Endicott, 46; Whitworth, 38; Alma, 35; Trinity (Tex.), 27; Hobart, 19; Ithaca, 18; Delaware Valley, 17; Coe, 15; UW-Stout, 13; Berry, 12; Brockport, 8; Lake Forest, 5; Chapman, 3; Mount St. Joseph, 2; UMass-Dartmouth, 2; Baldwin-Wallace, 1; Central (Iowa), 1; Rowan, 1; Washington (Mo.), 1; Wesleyan, 1; Westminster (Pa.), 1.

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See some of the top Division III football plays from Week 9 of the 2024 season.

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