No. 4 Southwestern has its Highest Ranking ever
CHULA VISTA, CA – Southwestern (6-0) moved up to No. 4 in the latest JC Athletic Bureau Football Coaches Poll and earned a three-spot promotion to No. 13 nationally in the JCGridiron Dirty 30 – both rankings are the highest ever in program history.
The Jaguars beat Palomar (1-5) last Thursday 38-24 for their fourth road win in the six games. A sixth win has Southwestern bowl eligible, but the Jags have a much bigger appetite – a National Southern League Championship, and a Southern California Football Association playoff bid.
Southwestern's unprecedented run in the National Division under second-year coach Oscar Rodriguez has been one of the biggest turnaround stories in two-year college football this season. In the California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A) football member institutions are assigned to one of two divisions. Teams in the National Division are considered the most competitive and therefore compete for the State Championship. Teams in the American Division, while not eligible for the State Championship, play for the opportunity to compete in the American Division Championship. Teams can be promoted from the American to the National Division or relegated from the National to the American Division based on their performance, ensuring a consistent relative competitiveness within the 3C2A system. Teams in the northern part of the state are affiliated with the Northern California Football Conference (NCFC) while those in SoCal are affiliated with the Southern California Football Association (SCFA). The NCFC and SCFA championship teams square off annually in the 3C2A State Championship game.
The 2025 Jags have reversed the narrative about Southwestern's inability to win in the National Division. Southwestern is a story because nobody outside the football program could have seen this coming so soon. There is something to be said for showing up week after week and earning your ranking. Not on what your talent should do. Or what you might do when the offense, defense, and special teams start to click. But on what you actually do in the game. Football is not a sport that welcomes anyone new to the table, which makes the success even more gratifying.
RANKED vs. RANKED
No. 4 Southwestern has passed every test thus far. The next three game stretch will bring a sense of order to the Southern California Football Association National Southern League Standings – at home versus No. 15 Riverside (4-2), No. 10 El Camino (5-1), and at No. 11 Saddleback (5-1).