Whitworth has been selected as the preseason favorite to win the 2026 Northwest Conference football championship, according to a vote of the conference's head coaches.
The defending NWC champion received five first-place votes and 47 points to take the top spot, with Linfield close behind at 45 points and three first-place votes. Pacific Lutheran was picked third with 33 points, followed by Lewis & Clark (31), George Fox (29), Pacific (18), Puget Sound (11) and Willamette (10).
The poll points to a competitive 2026 season, with five teams receiving at least 29 points and just 18 points separating the teams picked third through fifth. With each team facing a seven-game conference schedule, the race for the NWC championship is expected to feature plenty of competition throughout the season.
The conference also enters the season with three players recognized on the 2026 D3football.com Preseason All-America teams. Linfield senior defensive back Kenyon Johnson earned first-team honors, while senior punter Cade Johannsen was named to the first team among specialists. Whitworth senior kicker Iden Bone was selected to the second team.
Conference play begins Saturday, Oct. 3, with all eight NWC teams beginning their pursuit of the 2026 championship.
2026 NWC Football Preseason Coaches Poll
|
Rank
|
Team
|
Points
|
|
1.
|
Whitworth (5)
|
47
|
|
2.
|
Linfield (3)
|
45
|
|
3.
|
Pacific Lutheran
|
33
|
|
4.
|
Lewis & Clark
|
31
|
|
5.
|
George Fox
|
29
|
|
6.
|
Pacific
|
18
|
|
7.
|
Puget Sound
|
11
|
|
8.
|
Willamette
|
10
|
Numbers in parentheses indicate first-place votes. Points are awarded on a 7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. Coaches could not vote for their own teams.