PORTLAND, Ore.—Four Oregon-based Northwest Conference schools have announced the creation of the Oregon Cup, a non-conference football series featuring familiar conference foes.
 
Football programs from Lewis & Clark College, George Fox University, Pacific University, and Willamette University will compete for the Cup beginning in 2023. Two games featuring the four teams will occur the second week of the football season, with opponents and locations rotating each year.
 
The first edition of the Oregon Cup will take place on September 9, 2023. The George Fox Bruins will travel to Forest Grove, Ore. to take on the Pacific Boxers, while the Willamette Bearcats will head to Portland to take on the Lewis & Clark Pioneers.
 
"I'm extremely excited about the Oregon Cup," Director of Athletics Mark Pietrok said. "This new competition will give our team additional opportunities to compete in the Valley and see how we stack up against some of the top teams in the NWC. I'm hopeful in year four we will be playing for a trophy in the first-ever championship game."
 
Though all four teams play in the NWC, the games will not count toward the team's 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. 
 
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. 

The Pioneers will kick off their 2023 season on Saturday, September 2 when they travel to take on the University of Puget Sound at 1 p.m. The season opener will mark the second-ever Northwest Scholars Series contest. Last fall, the Pioneers dominated the Loggers 41-15 in the first Northwest Scholars Series game. 
 
After taking on Willamette in the Oregon Cup Week 2, Lewis & Clark will travel to Montana Western on September 16. It will mark the first-ever meeting between the two teams and the Pioneers first game against a team from Montana since 1977. After a week off, the Pioneers will open up NWC play when they travel to George Fox on September 30. 
 
Future Oregon Cup Games
September 9, 2023
Willamette @ Lewis & Clark
George Fox @ Pacific
 
September 14, 2024
Pacific vs. Lewis & Clark
Willamette vs. George Fox
 
September 13, 2025
George Fox vs. Lewis & Clark
Pacific vs. Willamette
 
September 12, 2026
Championship Game (Location TBD)
Third-Place Game (Location TBD)