THE RFC MYC: Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC)-(NCAA Division II)

Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC)-(NCAA Division II)

Overview: In perhaps one of the greatest falls from grace in college football history at all levels, the Azusa Pacific University Cougars went from an 8-4 overall finish, a Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) co-championship, and NCAA Division II playoff appearance in 2018, to a dismal 1-9 overall record, and no postseason play in 2019. The Cougars only win in what turned out to be their final football season came on September 28. That was when they beat Simon Fraser in Burnaby, B.C., Canada, 38-12.

The win over Simon Fraser proved to be the last win ever for Azusa Pacific, as the COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancelation of the entire 2020 season for the GNAC. Sadly, the end of APU football came on December 15. That's when university officials announced that they had made the difficult decision to drop the program after playing for 55 seasons dating back to 1965. APU compiled an all-time record of 288-244-6 during that span.

As for the rest of the GNAC, the Central Washington University Wildcats and the Western Oregon University Wolves both shared the conference crown in 2019, with both teams finishing the season at 7-4 overall and 5-1 in GNAC action. The Wolves outlasted the Wildcats, 36-26, in the first meeting between the two teams on September 28, for their first win at Central Washington since 1998. But CWU avenged that loss to WOU in the re-match on October 19, with the Wildcats holding off the Wolves, 42-41, in overtime.

With the decision by Azusa Pacific to drop its football program, the GNAC will have just three schools taking the field this fall in Central Washington, Simon Fraser, and Western Oregon.

2018 Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Football Final Standings

2019 Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Football Final Standings

2021 Schedules (Teams listed in alphabetical order, click the links below to access to find the schedules)

NOTE: If the link to the team's schedule is not highlighted, it means that the team has not submitted its schedule for the 2021 season. When the team's schedule is submitted, the link (s) will appear in each blog post. Also, please visit the RFC blog at realfootballcentral.blogspot.com for schedules, schedule updates, preseason previews, and much more.

Central Washington

Simon Fraser 

Western Oregon

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