COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – After falling to No. 19 following a mid-September loss at Itawamba, Northwest has climbed back into the Top 10 of the NJCAA Football Rankings, released Tuesday afternoon.

Northwest (4-1, 3-1 MACJC North) has outscored its last three opponents by a combined 109-13, including a pair of shutout victories against Mississippi Delta and Coahoma.

This week's opponent, East Mississippi (6-0, 4-0 MACJC North), continues to hold firm at the No. 1 spot. Iowa Western (5-1), Arizona Western (4-0), Trinity Valley (5-1) and Blinn (5-1) make up the remainder of the top five.

Three other MACJC programs are also ranked nationally, with Hinds (5-0) jumping from 12th to No. 7 in this week's poll. Jones County (5-1) and Mississippi Gulf Coast (4-2) round out the conference representation at 14th and 17th, respectively.

Thursday's 6:30 kickoff against EMCC at Bobby Franklin Field can be viewed in high definition at nwccrangers.com/watch. The Rangers will look to defend their 14-game home winning streak, dating back to the 2015 home-opener.

NJCAA Top 20 Poll (10/10/17)
1. East Mississippi
2. Iowa Western
3. Arizona Western
4. Trinity Valley (TX)
5. Blinn (TX)
6. Independence (KS)
7. Hinds
8. Scottsdale (AZ)
9. Tyler (TX)
10. Northwest Mississippi
11. Snow (UT)
12. Hutchinson (KS)
13. Georgia Military
14. Jones County
15. Monroe College (NY)
16. Butler (KS)
17. Mississippi Gulf Coast
18. Louisburg (NC)
19. Lackawanna (PA)
20. Garden City (KS)