SENATOBIA - After a second consecutive trip to the NJCAA Division I Football playoffs, the Northwest Mississippi Community College football team once again held a prominent spot in the preseason rankings from the NJCAA release earlier this week. 

Northwest cruised in at the number three position, only trailing defending national champion Iowa Western Community College and their national semifinal opponent in the Hutchinson Community College Blue Dragons. The Rangers picked up 101 total points in the voting, to 113 for Hutchinson and 119 for Iowa Western. 

Other notes from the opening poll included four teams from Mississippi making it into the top 15, as NWCC is joined by Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College at five, Copiah-Lincoln Community College at nine, and East Mississippi Community College entering the ranking at eleven. Two other MACCC programs are receiving votes in the opening poll, with Hinds Community College and Itawamba Community College getting some attention.

The top five is rounded out by Tyler Junior College out of Texas, and Georgia Military College sits in the sixth position. Trinity Valley Community College, Coffeyville Community College, and Garden City Community College wrap up the top ten. 

Northwest kicks off their season against Jones College on the road on August 27th before returning home for a rematch of the MACCC and Region 23 championship on September 3rd at Bobby Franklin Field with kickoff set for 7:00 PM. Follow along with the Ranger football team at nwccrangers.com or by following along with Northwest social media accounts.