2017 NWC Pick 'Ems and Power Rankings: Week 4

The 'Catdome should be packed this Saturday.

The pick ‘em post is back after a week off.  Fox played last week while everyone took a powder but a single team playing isn’t enough for a pick ‘em post.  This non-conference season has been a little strange as it has told us a lot so far about Whitworth, Fox, L&C, Linfield, and Willamette but not too much about PLU, Pacific, and Puget Sound due to various reasons. 

Getting off the Linfield/Whitworth angle you can point to Fox as a legit contender in 2017.  For those that haven’t been around that probably seems remarkable that Fox is playing great in the 5th year of reinstating the program and 4th year in playing.  However, those that have been around the NWC for any significant time, this year isn’t that surprising as Pacific did something very similar in 2013 in their 4th year back as a program. Regardless, Fox has done a great job 3 games in and have served noticed heading into conference play that they’re going to be a handful in 2017.

Lewis & Clark showed some first signs of real progress since Jay Locey took over with the Pios winning their first game since the ex-Linfield Head Coach took over in 2015. The Pioneers knocked off Poman-Pitzer 40-29 on the road and could make a legit move in climbing out of the NWC basement in 2017.  And the most likely candidate to slip into the basement is Willamette. While the Bearcats have not been bad in their first two games but their performances haven’t inspired either. 

On the extended breaks were PLU, Pacific, and Puget Sound on various reasons.  PLU and Pacific were due to circumstances out of their control and UPS built in their schedule with a two week bye so their coaching staff could spend that time spamming high schoolers with their 5th offer letter from Puget Sound Football.  It’s hard to really get a gauge on all three of these teams. Yeah, UPS played twice but one of those games was against the living dumpster file known at Occidental but lost to a La Verne team who got blanked 53-0 by Whitworth. We’ll find out quick as PLU and UPS hook up for their rivalry game and the one-time upstart Pacific faces the current upstarts in George Fox.  The opening weekend should offer some clear lines where the 2017 NWC season is going.

Northwest Conference Games of the Week

Lewis & Clark (1-0) over Willamette (0-2) (at L&C):  Confidence is a heck of a thing and the Pioneers picked up a truckload of it with that first win. I’m not just basing this off of L&C getting a win but the fact the team the Pioneers beat, Pamona-Pitzer, won their season opener against Rhodes College.  That same Rhodes team beat the Bearcats in a wild shootout the week prior to kick off the season. It get dangerous when you play the “x team beat y, and y beat z, so x should beat z” game but it at least tells me that the Pioneers are ready to compete with Willamette and take back the Wagon Wheel trophy to the hill.

George Fox (2-1) over Pacific (0-1) (at Fox): What we’ve seen the previous two weeks out of Fox is exceptional defensive play. I’m still not sold on their offense but the Bruin defense has been good.  That will probably spell doom for Pacific, who in their only game, could only muster up 130 passing yards and 3 picks when you have one of the most explosive receivers in D3 with Kobe Williams. I just don’t think the Boxers are very strong behind center and that is going to get exposed this weekend in Newberg.

Pacific Lutheran (0-1) over Puget Sound (1-1) (at PLU): This will either be a statement game for PLU or a toss-up game where either team could win in the 4th quarter.  I think PLU QB Cole Chandler is a heck of a player but just doesn’t have very many weapons around him to fully utilize his skill set.  I talked up how good PLU’s defensive secondary was going to be and CLU hung 280 passing yards and 2 TD’s on the Lutes. So that is the match-up that will determine the game, what I think could be a good defensive backfield in PLU vs the pass first and pass later Puget Sound team.  Who wins that battle is going to walk away with the victory.

Wildcat11's 2017 NWC Power Rankings Week 4:

1. Linfield - Until proven otherwise

2. Whitworth - Have a chance to prove it this Saturday

3. George Fox - Bruins are going to challenge Whitworth and Linfield for the conference title.

4. Pacific Lutheran - Two weeks off so we'll see what if PLU found someone for Chandler to throw the ball to.

5. Pacific - The Boxers have also been on an extended break so we'll see how they look this weekend against the surging Bruins.

6. UPS - Big weekend for the Loggers.

7. Willamette - Better be ready this weekend for Lewis & Clark.

8. Lewis & Clark - Getting that first win in the Locey era might be the launching pad in crawling out of the NWC basement.