from submitted reports
The Meridian Star
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. —
Defending national champion Blinn College (Texas) is the No. 1 ranked team in NJCAA football after the conclusion of the first two weeks of the 2010 season. The Bucs were voted to the top spot in the first poll of the season, released Tuesday. Blinn received 139 total poll points and six of seven first place votes.
Blinn is 2-0 overall after wins against preseason No. 3 Fort Scott (Kan.) 55-42 on Aug. 28 and Southeast Prep (non-NJCAA school) 70-7 Saturday. The Bucs offense has
dominated in its two wins amassing 968 total yards of offense. Quarterback Justin Tuggle has thrown for 423 yards and six touchdowns while also rushing for 144 yards and four more TDs in the two wins. Tuggle was the starting quarterback for three games at Boston College a year ago.
Blinn is no stranger to the No. 1 ranking as the Bucs held the top spot for eight weeks last year and three weeks in 2008. The Bucs also hold the longest active winning streak in the NJCAA with five straight.
Arizona Western College is second in the rankings with 132 poll points and a first place vote. The No.2 ranking is the highest regular ranking for the Matadors since their 1972 national championship season. Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Butler Community College (Kan.) and Snow College (Utah) round out the top five.
Blinn, Butler and Navarro (No. 9) have appeared in the Top 10 of the last 14 consecutive regular season rankings.
Other MACJC schools in the Top 20 are Jones County Junior College, which climbed to No. 11 from its preseason spot of No. 19, No. 15 Northwest Mississippi, which hosts East Central Community College on Thursday, and No. 16 East Mississippi Community College. The defending state champion Lions were ranked No. 7 in the preseason before dropping their season opener at Gulf Coast.
The second regular season NJCAA Football Poll will be announced Tuesday.
