CHARLOTTE - With a massive matchup looming on Saturday for the 2021 MACCC Championship, Northwest has inched up a spot from No. 5 to No. 4 in the latest round of NJCAA Division I rankings, released Monday afternoon.

Northwest (8-2) edged previously-ranked No. 3 Jones College, 26-20, in last Saturday's MACCC Semifinal matchup. The victory helped the Rangers avenge an early-season loss against the Bobcats, who tumbled down to No. 9 overall.

Saturday's opponent, Hinds, moved up from No. 10 to No. 6 overall, following a 42-41 overtime victory at East Mississippi. The loss slipped the Lions all the way down to eighth in the polls.

Iowa Western checks in as the new No. 1 team in this week's rankings, followed by Snow College (Utah) at No. 2 and New Mexico Military Institute at No. 3. Independence (Kan.) rounds out at No. 5 overall.

Mississippi Gulf Coast is the only other MACCC team represented in this week's rankings, as the Bulldogs check in at No. 13 overall.

Saturday will mark the first conference championship appearance for Hinds since 2004, but the Rangers and Eagles have had some postseason history since then. The two teams last met on November 4, 2017, when Northwest earned a 27-13 semifinal victory against a 12th-ranked Hinds program.

All-time, Northwest owns a 29-18-3 series advantage against the Eagles. The last regular season meeting featuring the two teams came on August 31, 2017, but was declared a scoreless no-contest, due to weather issues stemming from the remnants of Hurricane Harvey.

Saturday's championship bout is set for a 2 P.M. kickoff from Bobby Franklin Field. Tickets are now available here and the game will also be carried on Ranger TV (nwccrangers.com/watch) and Facebook Live beginning with a 1:30 P.M. pregame show.