HILLSBORO, Ore. – As Northwest aims to take the field for its season-opener against Itawamba later this week, the Rangers have risen a spot in the latest "Dirty 30" rankings from JCGridiron.com.

Northwest jumped from No. 14 last week to No. 13 in this week's edition of the rankings, despite a bye week.

Jones College is ranked No. 2 overall, leading all MACCC programs. The Bobcats surpassed defending MACCC and NJCAA champions Mississippi Gulf Coast, as the Bulldogs check in at third overall.

Other MACCC teams ranked include East Mississippi at No. 15, although the Lions opted out of participating in the 2020 season. Copiah-Lincoln (24th) and Northeast (29th) round out the rankings, with Hinds, Pearl River and Coahoma on the bubble.
 
Garden City (Kansas) remains in its No. 1 ranking, but will not play until the spring.
 
Northwest will finally open the season on Thursday, October 15 against Itawamba. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Bobby Franklin Field. General admission tickets will not be available but the game can be viewed with live video and live stats on nwccrangers.com/watch.