The Northwest Championship was an unofficial Division I FBS football rivalry series title earned by way of an undefeated sweep of the other three fellow Pac-12 teams located in the Pacific Northwest states of Oregon and Washington. The Washington Huskies won 33 "championships" of the region, just one shy of the 34 won by the other three programs combined.

Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, and Washington State first played each other in a round-robin format in the 1903 season. As geographic neighbors and members of the former Pacific Coast Conference and current Pac-12 Conference North Division, each team has generally played the others annually. Among the Ducks, Beavers, Huskies, and Cougars there exist three traditional football rivalries: Oregon–Oregon State, Oregon–Washington, and Washington–Washington State.

The feat's "Northwest Championship" moniker was coined by Rick Neuheisel, head coach of the 2002 Washington Huskies. After a string of disappointing losses, he challenged his players to win the newly conceived title by defeating their northwest rivals in the season's remaining games. The title is not without precedence though as the 1897 Oregon Agricultural Aggies football team, precursors to the Oregon State Beavers, declared themselves "Champions of the Northwest" after defeating both Washington and Oregon, though they did not play Washington State that season.

The Northwest Championship has been described as a "so-called", "fictitious", and "mythical" title, invented by Neuheisel only to motivate his 2002 team. Nevertheless, in the years following the Huskies' original claim of the title, other teams have continued to be cited as winning the Northwest Championship upon completing the sweep. Due to Oregon and Washington's departure to the Big Ten as part of the 2021–2024 NCAA conference realignment, even though the Apple Cup and Civil War will continue, the Northwest Championship is unlikely to continue unless games between Oregon and Washington State or between Oregon State and Washington are scheduled in future seasons.

Teams

The Northwest Championship involved the four Pacific Northwest teams that played football in the North Division of the Pac-12 Conference. Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, and Washington State generally played each other annually in a 6-game round-robin series. Three of the six games were heated rivalry games, and all of the games represented some of the most-played college football series.

Oregon Ducks football Oregon State Beavers football Washington Huskies football Washington State Cougars football

Other Northwest teams

Since its introduction, it has been unclear if other football schools in the Pacific Northwest are eligible to win the Northwest Championship. Washington beat Idaho in 2002, but they were not mentioned in Neuheisel's conception of the title. Boise State beat Oregon in 2008 and 2009, years where Oregon swept its in-conference northwest foes, and has been mentioned as potentially deserving a spot in the series.

2002 origin

In his fourth year as head coach, Neuheisel's 2002 team was floundering. In early November they had a 4–5 record, 1–4 against Pac-10 opponents, and had lost 4 of the last 5 games. The Huskies were at serious risk of a losing season, their first since 1976, and of missing a bowl game.

Through rare happenstance, Washington was scheduled to play the three other Pacific Northwest schools in order to end the season. Neuheisel, sensing an opportunity to motivate his team, declared that despite the thus far disappointing season the Huskies were still fighting to win the "Northwest Championship" by sweeping Oregon State, Oregon, and Washington State in their remaining games.

It was a successful rallying cry, and the Huskies first beat Oregon State. The next week they won at Autzen Stadium, their first win against Oregon on the road since 1996. The Huskies capped the season with a triple-overtime victory in Pullman over No. 3 Washington State in the Apple Cup, claiming the Northwest Championship with back-to-back-to-back wins over the other northwest schools.

Trophy

No trophy is awarded to the Northwest Champion, and no organization grants the title.

In 2002, the Huskies wore homemade t-shirts to mark their progress towards the Northwest Championship. The football undershirts had three blank boxes labeled for the other northwest schools, which the players checked off after each win.

Results

The Washington Huskies were successful in claiming the newly coined Northwest Championship in 2002. Since then, Oregon and Oregon State have both also won the title and been called Northwest Champions by local media. Washington State has yet to complete the sweep in the years since the title was named, but several times has been on the hunt going into the end-of-season Apple Cup. The Washington Huskies swept the northwest schools for the final time in 2023, on the way to a 14–1 season.

Historical results have been compiled for prior years by the school athletic departments, local media, and fans of the football programs.

The four teams first met in a six-game round-robin fashion in the 1903 season. This was also the first season in which any of the teams played all three of the others.

Season Northwest Champion Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 1903 5–0 Oregon Agricultural 10–0 Washington Agricultural 6–5 Oregon 1904 1905 1906* 1907* 1908 1909* 1910 1911 34–0 Oregon Agricultural 29–3 Oregon 30–6 Washington State 1912 9–3 Oregon Agricultural 30–14 Oregon 19–0 Washington State 1913 47–0 Oregon Agricultural 10–7 Oregon 20–0 Washington State 1914 1915* 1916 1917 26–3 Oregon 6–0 Oregon Agricultural 14–0 Washington 1918* 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 14–0 Oregon Agricultural 24–7 Washington State 26–7 Oregon 1924 1925* 1926 1927* 1928 1929* 1930* 1931* 1932* 1933* 1934 1935* 1936 19–7 Oregon State 7–0 Oregon 40–0 Washington State 1937 1938 13–6 Washington 7–6 Washington State 14–0 Oregon 1939 13–7 Washington 13–0 Washington State 19–14 Oregon 1940 10–0 Oregon 19–0 Oregon State 33–9 Washington State 1941 1942 1943* 1944* 1945 1946 13–12 Washington State 13–0 Oregon 21–12 Washington 1947 6–0 Washington 12–6 Washington State 14–6 Oregon State 1948 33–7 Washington State 13–7 Washington 10–0 Oregon State 1949 7–3 Washington 35–6 Washington State 20–10 Oregon 1950 35–6 Oregon State 27–12 Oregon 52–21 Washington State 1951 26–13 Oregon State 41–6 Oregon 27–25 Washington 1952 49–0 Oregon 38–13 Oregon State 33–27 Washington State 1953 1954 26–7 Washington 26–14 Washington State 33–14 Oregon State 1955 1956 1957 1958 6–0 Oregon 7–0 Oregon State 18–14 Washington 1959 13–12 Oregon 13–6 Oregon State 20–0 Washington State 1960 30–29 Oregon State 7–6 Oregon 8–7 Washington State 1961 14–6 Washington State 3–0 Washington 6–2 Oregon 1962 1963 34–7 Oregon State 26–19 Oregon 16–0 Washington State 1964 9–7 Washington 24–7 Washington State 7–6 Oregon 1965 24–20 Oregon 28–21 Oregon State 27–9 Washington State 1966 41–13 Washington State 24–12 Washington 20–15 Oregon 1967 1968 35–21 Washington 16–8 Washington State 41–19 Oregon 1969 10–6 Washington 38–3 Washington State 10–7 Oregon 1970 29–20 Oregon State 25–13 Oregon 43–25 Washington State 1971 1972 31–14 Oregon 37–7 Oregon State 27–10 Washington 1973 21–14 Oregon 13–7 Oregon State 52–26 Washington 1974 23–9 Washington 17–3 Washington State 35–16 Oregon 1975 27–17 Oregon 35–7 Oregon State 28–27 Washington State 1976 24–12 Oregon State 14–7 Oregon 51–32 Washington State 1977 54–0 Oregon 14–6 Oregon State 35–15 Washington State 1978 34–0 Oregon State 20–14 Oregon 38–8 Washington State 1979 21–17 Oregon 41–0 Oregon State 17–7 Washington State 1980 34–10 Washington 20–10 Washington State 40–21 Oregon State 1981 17–3 Oregon 56–17 Oregon State 23–10 Washington State 1982 1983 24–7 Oregon 27–9 Oregon State 17–6 Washington 1984 19–7 Oregon State 17–10 Oregon 38–29 Washington State 1985 1986 38–3 Oregon 28–12 Oregon State 44–23 Washington State 1987 29–22 Washington 31–17 Washington State 44–0 Oregon State 1988 1989 20–14 Oregon 51–14 Oregon State 20–9 Washington State 1990* 1991 29–7 Oregon 58–6 Oregon State 56–21 Washington State 1992 1993 21–6 Oregon 28–21 Oregon State 26–3 Washington State 1994 1995 26–7 Washington State 24–22 Washington 12–10 Oregon State 1996 33–14 Oregon 42–3 Oregon State 31–24 Washington State 1997 1998 1999 34–20 Oregon 47–21 Oregon State 24–14 Washington State 2000 2001 2002 † 41–29 Oregon State 42–14 Oregon 29–26 Washington State 2003 38–17 Oregon State 42–10 Oregon 27–19 Washington State 2004 29–14 Washington 38–19 Washington State 50–21 Oregon 2005 45–21 Washington 34–31 Washington State 56–14 Oregon State 2006 2007 29–23 Washington 52–17 Washington State 38–31 Oregon 2008 45–10 Washington 63–14 Washington State 65–38 Oregon State 2009 52–6 Washington State 43–19 Washington 37–33 Oregon State 2010 43–23 Washington State 53–16 Washington 37–20 Oregon State 2011 43–28 Washington State 34–17 Washington 49–21 Oregon State 2012 51–26 Washington State 52–21 Washington 48–24 Oregon State 2013 45–24 Washington 62–38 Washington State 36–35 Oregon State 2014 38–31 Washington State 45–20 Washington 47–19 Oregon State 2015 2016 70–21 Oregon 41–17 Oregon State 45–17 Washington State 2017 42–7 Oregon State 38–3 Oregon 41–14 Washington State 2018 2019 35–31 Washington 37–35 Washington State 24–10 Oregon State 2020 2021 26–16 Washington 38–24 Washington State 38–29 Oregon State 2022 24–21 Oregon State 37–34 Oregon 51–33 Washington State 2023 36–33 Oregon 22–20 Oregon State 24–21 Washington State 2024* 2025*

* Years in which no sweep was possible due to no single team playing all three of the others.

Number of games played, of the possible 6-game round-robin series. If no annotation, all 6 games were played.

The series was disrupted by World War II, with only Washington fielding a team in 1943 and 1944. In 1945 each team played the others twice, for a total of 12 games.

After winning the Northwest Championship in the regular season, Washington also won their rematch with Oregon in the 2023 Pac-12 Football Championship Game.

† The "Northwest Championship" name was coined in 2002.

+Northwest ChampionshipTeamSweeps Washington 33 Oregon 16 Oregon State 12 Washington State 6

+Longest StreaksTeamStreak Oregon 7 Washington 5 Oregon State 2 Washington State 2

References Game results on Winsipedia: Oregon Oregon State Washington Washington State Results of the 6-game round-robin series: Oregon–Oregon State Oregon–Washington Oregon–Washington State Oregon State–Washington Oregon State–Washington State Washington–Washington State