HILLSBORO, Ore. – After a pair of thrilling victories to open the 2020 season, Northwest has leaped to No. 9 in the latest "Dirty 30" rankings from JCGridiron.com.

Northwest moved up two spots following last Thursday's 34-28 overtime victory at Northeast, helping the Rangers improve to 2-0 on the young season.

Defending MACCC and NJCAA champions Mississippi Gulf Coast once again led the Magnolia State's representation with a No. 2 national ranking. The Bulldogs sit just behind top-ranked Garden City (Kan.), which is slated to play in the spring with the rest of the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference.

At No. 11, Northwest is the second highest MACCC program ranked, followed by No. 12 Hinds, No. 13 Jones College, No. 24 Copiah-Lincoln and No. 28 Northeast. Additionally, Pearl River, Coahoma and Itawamba remain on the bubble, just outside of the top 30.

East Mississippi is also ranked at No. 26 nationally, despite opting out of the 2020 season.

Riverside City (Calif.), Lackawanna (Pa.) and Iowa Central populate the remaining top five slots.

Next up for Northwest is a battle with Coahoma and former defensive line coach Travis Macon. Kickoff between the Rangers and Tigers is slated for 7 p.m. at Bobby Franklin Field, with live coverage available at nwccrangers.com/watch.